washingtontimes--2020-12-24--Santa's 'grandchildren' spread joy in Italian nursing homes

ALZANO LOMBARDO , Italy ( AP ) - Emotions are running high this holiday season at the Martino Zanchi Foundation nursing home in northern Italy near Bergamo after months of near-total isolation for its residents .
Long-time resident Celestina Comotti was disbelieving as a staff member read aloud a Christmas greeting from a family peering at her expectantly over a video call .
“ Damn !
’ ’ Comotti exclaimed when nursing home staff confirmed that her well-wishers - 9-year-old Simon , his sister Marta and mother Alessia - were people she had never met before .
The 81-year-old woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trembling , ” she said , adjusting her eyeglasses .
Despite a grim year marked by death and loneliness , the holiday spirit is descending on the Zanchi nursing home , one of the first in Italy to shut its doors to visitors after a COVID-19 case was confirmed in the nearby hospital on Feb. 23 .
The bearers of glad tidings were the so-called “ grandchildren of Santa Claus , ” people who answered a charity ’ s call to spread cheer to elderly nursing home residents , many of whom live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have any family members left .
The “ Santa ’ s grandchildren ” program is in its third year .
Last year , it matched 2,550 “ grandchildren ” with residents of 91 nursing homes .
This year , 5,800 gifts were dispatched to 228 nursing homes around the country — an outpouring that is , in part , a reaction to the devastating toll that the coronavirus has had on the elderly , comprising the majority of Italy ’ s confirmed 70,000 COVID-19 dead .
This was the Zanchi nursing home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Santa ’ s grandchildren ” program .
The town of Alzano Lombardo , where the home is located , was one of the hardest hit in Bergamo province , where Italy ’ s first domestically transmitted coronavirus infections cases were discovered and touched off the country ’ s deadly spring surge .
Michela Valle , the home ’ s activities coordinator , said her goal wasn ’ t so much about fulfilling elderly Italians ’ wishes for holiday gifts but “ about creating ties.
’ ’ The program matched benefactors with 43 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that one day , when pandemic eases substantially , there can be in-person meetings .
The recipients wore Santa hats during the virtual visits with their volunteer grandchildren .
They received gifts to unwrap during the calls , too .
Comotti ’ s adoptive family sent her a shawl , just as she had requested .
“ Blue , like your eyes , ’ ’ nursing home director Maria Giulia Madaschi said .
Comotti laughed happily as the workers wrapped the shawl around her .
Tami “ Mario ” Palmiro was thrilled with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Bergamo ’ s Atalanta Serie A professional soccer team , provoking a stadium cheer from the 81-year-old , before he , too , broke down in tears .
Palmiro arrived at the nursing home in August , undergoing a transition more wrenching than usual due to virus-control procedures that strictly limit family visits , Madaschi said .
One of the “ grandchildren , ” Ilaria Sacco , said she signed up because she was unable to travel home to Italy from California for Christmas this year , and wanted to feel connected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she had lost both of her grandparents this year “ but I still want to be a grandchild.
” Madaschi said she often found herself moved to tears by the interactions , as the “ nipoti ” and “ nonni ” found common ground .
Many are already creating ties , sometimes with real relatives facilitating contact with the new “ nipoti.
” “ The guests could perceive the Christmas spirit , the joy of the holiday — to be able to unwrap and gift , such a normal event in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ’ ’ she said .
“ It has been a wonderful experience .
To be repeated.
” Barry reported from Milan .
Charlene Pele contributed from Alzano Lombardo and Alberto Pellaschiar contributed from Rome .

ALZANO LOMBARDO, Italy (AP) - Emotions are running high this holiday season at the Martino Zanchi Foundation nursing home in northern Italy near Bergamo after months of near-total isolation for its residents.
Long-time resident Celestina Comotti was disbelieving as a staff member read aloud a Christmas greeting from a family peering at her expectantly over a video call.
“Damn!’’ Comotti exclaimed when nursing home staff confirmed that her well-wishers - 9-year-old Simon, his sister Marta and mother Alessia - were people she had never met before. The 81-year-old woman dissolved into tears.
“I am trembling,” she said, adjusting her eyeglasses.
Despite a grim year marked by death and loneliness, the holiday spirit is descending on the Zanchi nursing home, one of the first in Italy to shut its doors to visitors after a COVID-19 case was confirmed in the nearby hospital on Feb. 23.
The bearers of glad tidings were the so-called “grandchildren of Santa Claus,” people who answered a charity’s call to spread cheer to elderly nursing home residents, many of whom live far from their families or don’t have any family members left.
The “Santa’s grandchildren” program is in its third year. Last year, it matched 2,550 “grandchildren” with residents of 91 nursing homes. This year, 5,800 gifts were dispatched to 228 nursing homes around the country — an outpouring that is, in part, a reaction to the devastating toll that the coronavirus has had on the elderly, comprising the majority of Italy’s confirmed 70,000 COVID-19 dead.
This was the Zanchi nursing home’s first year participating in the “Santa’s grandchildren” program. The town of Alzano Lombardo, where the home is located, was one of the hardest hit in Bergamo province, where Italy’s first domestically transmitted coronavirus infections cases were discovered and touched off the country’s deadly spring surge.
Michela Valle, the home’s activities coordinator, said her goal wasn’t so much about fulfilling elderly Italians’ wishes for holiday gifts but “about creating ties.’’ The program matched benefactors with 43 Zanchi residents this season. Valle hopes that one day, when pandemic eases substantially, there can be in-person meetings.
The recipients wore Santa hats during the virtual visits with their volunteer grandchildren. They received gifts to unwrap during the calls, too. Comotti’s adoptive family sent her a shawl, just as she had requested.
“Blue, like your eyes,’’ nursing home director Maria Giulia Madaschi said. Comotti laughed happily as the workers wrapped the shawl around her.
Tami “Mario” Palmiro was thrilled with his baseball cap emblazoned with the name of Bergamo’s Atalanta Serie A professional soccer team, provoking a stadium cheer from the 81-year-old, before he, too, broke down in tears.
Palmiro arrived at the nursing home in August, undergoing a transition more wrenching than usual due to virus-control procedures that strictly limit family visits, Madaschi said.
One of the “grandchildren,” Ilaria Sacco, said she signed up because she was unable to travel home to Italy from California for Christmas this year, and wanted to feel connected. Another, Caterina Damiano, explained that she had lost both of her grandparents this year “but I still want to be a grandchild.”
Madaschi said she often found herself moved to tears by the interactions, as the “nipoti” and “nonni” found common ground. Many are already creating ties, sometimes with real relatives facilitating contact with the new “nipoti.”
“The guests could perceive the Christmas spirit, the joy of the holiday — to be able to unwrap and gift, such a normal event in this anomalous period in which we are living,’’ she said. “It has been a wonderful experience. To be repeated.”
_____
Barry reported from Milan. Charlene Pele contributed from Alzano Lombardo and Alberto Pellaschiar contributed from Rome.
___
One Good Thing at AP: https://apnews.com/hub/one-good-thing


washingtontimes--2020-12-24--'Mom, we need food': Thousands in South Sudan near famine

LEKUANGOLE , South Sudan ( AP ) - After nearly a week of hiding from conflict , Kallayn Keneng watched two of her young children die .
“ They cried and cried and said , ‘ Mom , we need food , ’ ” she said .
But she had nothing to give .
Too frail to bury her 5-year-old and 7-year-old after days without eating , she covered their bodies with grass and left them in the forest .
Now the mourning 40-year-old awaits food aid , one of more than 30,000 people said to be in likely famine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The new finding by international food security experts means this could be the first part of the world in famine since one was declared in 2017 in another part of the country then deep in civil war .
South Sudan is one of four countries with areas that could slip into famine , the United Nations has warned , along with Yemen , Burkina Faso and northeastern Nigeria .
Pibor county this year has seen deadly local violence and unprecedented flooding that have hurt aid efforts .
On a visit to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families told The Associated Press that 13 of their children starved to death between February and November .
The head of Lekuangole ’ s government , Peter Golu , said he received unprecedented reports from community leaders that 17 children had died from hunger there and in surrounding villages between September and December .
The Famine Review Committee ’ s report , released this month by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification , stops short of declaring famine because of insufficient data .
But famine is thought to be occurring , meaning at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food gaps and at least 30 % of children are acutely malnourished .
But South Sudan ’ s government is not endorsing the report ’ s findings .
If a famine were occurring it would be seen as a failure , it says .
“ They are making assumptions .
… We are here dealing with facts , they are not on the ground , ” said John Pangech , the chair of South Sudan ’ s food security committee .
The government says 11,000 people across the country are on the brink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 105,000 estimated by the new report by food security experts .
The government also expects that 60 % of the country ’ s population , or some 7 million people , could face extreme hunger next year , with the hardest hit areas in Warrap , Jonglei and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states .
South Sudan has been struggling to recover from a five-year civil war .
Food security experts say the magnitude of the hunger crisis has been mostly created by the fighting .
That includes bouts of violence this year between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and opposition .
The government “ is not only denying the severity of what is happening but is denying the basic fact that its own policies and military tactics are responsible , ” said Alex de Waal , author of “ Mass Starvation : The History and Future of Famine ” and executive director of the World Peace Foundation .
More than 2,000 people have been killed this year in localized violence that ’ s been “ weaponized ” by people acting in their own interests , the head of the U.N. mission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has said .
Violence has prevented people from cultivating , blocked supply routes , burned down markets and killed aid workers .
Families in Lekuangole said their crops were destroyed by the fighting .
They now subsist on leaves and fruits .
During violence in July , Kidrich Korok ’ s 9-year-old son Martin became separated from the family and spent more than a week in the forest .
By the time he was found , severely malnourished , it was too late .
“ He would always tell me that he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for me when he grew up , ” Korok said , weeping .
“ Even while he was dying , he kept reassuring me that I shouldn ’ t worry.
” Staff at the health clinic in Lekuangole registered 20 severely malnourished children in the first week and a half of December , more than five times the number of cases for the same period last year , said a nurse , Gabriel Gogol .
Flooding has cut off most road access to Pibor town and its better medical care , forcing some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days along the river in flimsy plastic rafts .
Officials in Pibor county say they don ’ t understand why South Sudan ’ s government isn ’ t acknowledging the scale of the hunger .
“ If people are saying in ( the capital ) that there ’ s no famine in Pibor , they ’ re lying and want people to die , ” said David Langole Varo , who works for the humanitarian arm of the government in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area .
In Pibor town , malnourished mothers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hoping for food .
In a joint statement last week , three U.N. agencies called for immediate access to parts of Pibor county where people were facing catastrophic levels of hunger .
The World Food Program has faced challenges in delivering aid this year .
Approximately 635 metric tons of food were stolen from Pibor county and Jonglei state , enough to feed 72,000 people , and an air drop of food in Lekuangole killed an elderly woman in October .
The WFP said it needs more than $ 470 million over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hunger crisis .
Families now worry about a resurgence in fighting as the dry season approaches .
Sitting in a clinic run by Doctors Without Borders in Pibor town , Elizabeth Girosdh watched her 8-month old twins fight over her breast milk .
The 45-year-old lost her crops during fighting in her village of Verteth in June .
One of the twins is severely malnourished .
“ Sometimes I try to breastfeed but I can ’ t and the kids cry and cry all night , ” she said .
“ If there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worry I could lose them .
”

LEKUANGOLE, South Sudan (AP) - After nearly a week of hiding from conflict, Kallayn Keneng watched two of her young children die. “They cried and cried and said, ‘Mom, we need food,’” she said. But she had nothing to give. Too frail to bury her 5-year-old and 7-year-old after days without eating, she covered their bodies with grass and left them in the forest.
Now the mourning 40-year-old awaits food aid, one of more than 30,000 people said to be in likely famine in South Sudan’s Pibor county. The new finding by international food security experts means this could be the first part of the world in famine since one was declared in 2017 in another part of the country then deep in civil war.
South Sudan is one of four countries with areas that could slip into famine, the United Nations has warned, along with Yemen, Burkina Faso and northeastern Nigeria.
Pibor county this year has seen deadly local violence and unprecedented flooding that have hurt aid efforts. On a visit to the town of Lekuangole this month, seven families told The Associated Press that 13 of their children starved to death between February and November.
The head of Lekuangole’s government, Peter Golu, said he received unprecedented reports from community leaders that 17 children had died from hunger there and in surrounding villages between September and December.
The Famine Review Committee’s report, released this month by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, stops short of declaring famine because of insufficient data. But famine is thought to be occurring, meaning at least 20% of households face extreme food gaps and at least 30% of children are acutely malnourished.
But South Sudan’s government is not endorsing the report’s findings. If a famine were occurring it would be seen as a failure, it says.
“They are making assumptions. … We are here dealing with facts, they are not on the ground,” said John Pangech, the chair of South Sudan’s food security committee. The government says 11,000 people across the country are on the brink of starvation - far less than the 105,000 estimated by the new report by food security experts.
The government also expects that 60% of the country’s population, or some 7 million people, could face extreme hunger next year, with the hardest hit areas in Warrap, Jonglei and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states.
South Sudan has been struggling to recover from a five-year civil war. Food security experts say the magnitude of the hunger crisis has been mostly created by the fighting. That includes bouts of violence this year between communities with alleged support from the government and opposition.
The government “is not only denying the severity of what is happening but is denying the basic fact that its own policies and military tactics are responsible,” said Alex de Waal, author of “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine” and executive director of the World Peace Foundation.
More than 2,000 people have been killed this year in localized violence that’s been “weaponized” by people acting in their own interests, the head of the U.N. mission in South Sudan, David Shearer, has said. Violence has prevented people from cultivating, blocked supply routes, burned down markets and killed aid workers.
Families in Lekuangole said their crops were destroyed by the fighting. They now subsist on leaves and fruits.
During violence in July, Kidrich Korok’s 9-year-old son Martin became separated from the family and spent more than a week in the forest. By the time he was found, severely malnourished, it was too late.
“He would always tell me that he’d study hard and do something good for me when he grew up,” Korok said, weeping. “Even while he was dying, he kept reassuring me that I shouldn’t worry.”
Staff at the health clinic in Lekuangole registered 20 severely malnourished children in the first week and a half of December, more than five times the number of cases for the same period last year, said a nurse, Gabriel Gogol.
Flooding has cut off most road access to Pibor town and its better medical care, forcing some severely sick children to travel for three days along the river in flimsy plastic rafts.
Officials in Pibor county say they don’t understand why South Sudan’s government isn’t acknowledging the scale of the hunger.
“If people are saying in (the capital) that there’s no famine in Pibor, they’re lying and want people to die,” said David Langole Varo, who works for the humanitarian arm of the government in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
In Pibor town, malnourished mothers and children wait for hours outside health clinics, hoping for food.
In a joint statement last week, three U.N. agencies called for immediate access to parts of Pibor county where people were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.
The World Food Program has faced challenges in delivering aid this year. Approximately 635 metric tons of food were stolen from Pibor county and Jonglei state, enough to feed 72,000 people, and an air drop of food in Lekuangole killed an elderly woman in October.
The WFP said it needs more than $470 million over the next six months to address the hunger crisis.
Families now worry about a resurgence in fighting as the dry season approaches.
Sitting in a clinic run by Doctors Without Borders in Pibor town, Elizabeth Girosdh watched her 8-month old twins fight over her breast milk. The 45-year-old lost her crops during fighting in her village of Verteth in June. One of the twins is severely malnourished.
“Sometimes I try to breastfeed but I can’t and the kids cry and cry all night,” she said. “If there’s not enough food, I worry I could lose them.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-24--UK, EU on cusp of striking Brexit trade deal at last

BRUSSELS ( AP ) — Negotiators from the European Union and Britain worked through the night and into Christmas Eve to put the finishing touches on a trade deal that should avert a chaotic economic break between the two sides next week .
Trade will change regardless come Jan. 1 , when the U.K. leaves the bloc ’ s single market and customs union .
But both sides have been working furiously to avoid a nightmare scenario , in which the imposition of tariffs and duties would cost billions in trade and hundreds of thousands of jobs and potentially so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get through .
That possibility was starkly illustrated this week when a brief French blockade of British trucks over coronavirus concerns created chaos at ports that is still being sorted out .
After resolving nearly all of the remaining sticking points , negotiators combed through hundreds of pages of legal text Thursday that should become the blueprint for a post-Brexit relationship .
As during much of the nine-month negotiations , the issue of EU fishing fleets in British waters proved the most intractable and divisive , with negotiators still haggling over quotas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and went .
Still , sources on both sides said the long and difficult negotiations were on the cusp of being wrapped up as negotiators , holed up at EU headquarters in Brussels with a stack of pizzas , worked to deliver the text to their leaders on Thursday .
Irish foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney said there appeared to be “ some sort of last-minute hitch ” over fish , but that it was not surprising .
He said he expected announcements of a deal from London and Brussels “ later on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the 27 EU nations seeking unanimous approval , as well as the blessing of the EU and British parliaments .
It ’ s expected to get those approvals .
Britain ’ s currency , the pound , rose on expectations of a deal , up 0.5 % against the dollar to just under $ 1.36 .
Despite the apparent breakthrough , key aspects of the future relationship between the 27-nation bloc and its former member remain uncertain .
But it leaves the mutually dependent , often fractious U.K.-EU relationship - and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) in annual trade - on a much more solid footing than a disruptive no-deal split .
If a deal is announced , British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be able to claim to have delivered on the promise that won him a resounding election victory a year ago : “ Get Brexit Done.
” Even with a deal , trade between Britain and the EU will face customs checks and other barriers on Jan. 1 .
But an agreement would avert the more disastrous effects of tariffs and duties .
Britain withdrew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and an economic transition period expires on Dec. 31 .
Johnson has always insisted the U.K. will “ prosper mightily ” even if no deal is reached and the U.K. has to trade with the EU on World Trade Organization terms from Jan. 1 .
But his government has acknowledged that a chaotic exit is likely to bring gridlock at Britain ’ s ports , temporary shortages of some goods and price increases for staple foods .
Tariffs will be applied to many U.K. exports , including 10 % on cars and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.K. economy as it struggles to rebound from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic .
Over the past few days , Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have been drawn more and more into the talks , speaking by phone in a bid to unblock negotiations that have dragged on for months , hampered by the pandemic and by the two sides ’ opposing views of what Brexit entails .
Rumors of a pre-Christmas trade deal surfaced in recent days based on progress on the main outstanding issues : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fishing .
The EU has long feared that Britain would undercut the bloc ’ s social , environmental and state aid rules to be able to gain an unfair edge with its exports to the EU .
Britain has said that having to meet EU rules would undercut its sovereignty .
Compromise was finally reached on those “ level playing field ” issues , leaving the economically minor but hugely symbolic issue of fish to be the final sticking point .
Maritime EU nations are seeking to retain access to U.K. waters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain has been insisting it must exercise control as an “ independent coastal state.
” A huge gap between the two sides on fishing was gradually narrowed until it appeared , at last , bridgeable .
Johnson ’ s large Conservative majority in Parliament should ensure that the Brexit trade agreement passes , but any compromises will be criticized by hard-line Brexit supporters in his party .
The party ’ s euroskeptic European Research Group said it would carefully scrutinize any deal “ to ensure that its provisions genuinely protect the sovereignty of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transition period at the end of this year.
” The European Parliament has warned it ’ s now too late for it to approve the deal before Jan. 1 , but an agreement could provisionally be put in place and approved by EU legislators in January .
Businesses on both sides are clamoring for a deal that would save tens of billions in costs .
While both sides would suffer economically from a failure to secure a trade deal , most economists think Britain would take a greater hit , because it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the EU than the other way around .

BRUSSELS (AP) — Negotiators from the European Union and Britain worked through the night and into Christmas Eve to put the finishing touches on a trade deal that should avert a chaotic economic break between the two sides next week.
Trade will change regardless come Jan. 1, when the U.K. leaves the bloc’s single market and customs union. But both sides have been working furiously to avoid a nightmare scenario, in which the imposition of tariffs and duties would cost billions in trade and hundreds of thousands of jobs and potentially so snarl ports that many goods would struggle to get through. That possibility was starkly illustrated this week when a brief French blockade of British trucks over coronavirus concerns created chaos at ports that is still being sorted out.
After resolving nearly all of the remaining sticking points, negotiators combed through hundreds of pages of legal text Thursday that should become the blueprint for a post-Brexit relationship.
As during much of the nine-month negotiations, the issue of EU fishing fleets in British waters proved the most intractable and divisive, with negotiators still haggling over quotas for some individual species as dawn came and went.
Still, sources on both sides said the long and difficult negotiations were on the cusp of being wrapped up as negotiators, holed up at EU headquarters in Brussels with a stack of pizzas, worked to deliver the text to their leaders on Thursday.
Irish foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney said there appeared to be “some sort of last-minute hitch” over fish, but that it was not surprising. He said he expected announcements of a deal from London and Brussels “later on today.”
The agreement would then go to the 27 EU nations seeking unanimous approval, as well as the blessing of the EU and British parliaments. It’s expected to get those approvals.
Britain’s currency, the pound, rose on expectations of a deal, up 0.5% against the dollar to just under $1.36.
Despite the apparent breakthrough, key aspects of the future relationship between the 27-nation bloc and its former member remain uncertain. But it leaves the mutually dependent, often fractious U.K.-EU relationship - and its 675 billion pounds ($918 billion) in annual trade - on a much more solid footing than a disruptive no-deal split.
If a deal is announced, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be able to claim to have delivered on the promise that won him a resounding election victory a year ago: “Get Brexit Done.”
Even with a deal, trade between Britain and the EU will face customs checks and other barriers on Jan. 1. But an agreement would avert the more disastrous effects of tariffs and duties. Britain withdrew from the EU on Jan. 31, and an economic transition period expires on Dec. 31.
Johnson has always insisted the U.K. will “prosper mightily” even if no deal is reached and the U.K. has to trade with the EU on World Trade Organization terms from Jan. 1.
But his government has acknowledged that a chaotic exit is likely to bring gridlock at Britain’s ports, temporary shortages of some goods and price increases for staple foods. Tariffs will be applied to many U.K. exports, including 10% on cars and more than 40% on lamb, battering the U.K. economy as it struggles to rebound from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the past few days, Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have been drawn more and more into the talks, speaking by phone in a bid to unblock negotiations that have dragged on for months, hampered by the pandemic and by the two sides’ opposing views of what Brexit entails.
Rumors of a pre-Christmas trade deal surfaced in recent days based on progress on the main outstanding issues: fair competition, resolution of future disputes and fishing.
The EU has long feared that Britain would undercut the bloc’s social, environmental and state aid rules to be able to gain an unfair edge with its exports to the EU. Britain has said that having to meet EU rules would undercut its sovereignty.
Compromise was finally reached on those “level playing field” issues, leaving the economically minor but hugely symbolic issue of fish to be the final sticking point. Maritime EU nations are seeking to retain access to U.K. waters where they have long fished, but Britain has been insisting it must exercise control as an “independent coastal state.”
A huge gap between the two sides on fishing was gradually narrowed until it appeared, at last, bridgeable.
Johnson’s large Conservative majority in Parliament should ensure that the Brexit trade agreement passes, but any compromises will be criticized by hard-line Brexit supporters in his party. The party’s euroskeptic European Research Group said it would carefully scrutinize any deal “to ensure that its provisions genuinely protect the sovereignty of the United Kingdom after we exit the transition period at the end of this year.”
The European Parliament has warned it’s now too late for it to approve the deal before Jan. 1, but an agreement could provisionally be put in place and approved by EU legislators in January.
Businesses on both sides are clamoring for a deal that would save tens of billions in costs.
While both sides would suffer economically from a failure to secure a trade deal, most economists think Britain would take a greater hit, because it is smaller and more reliant on trade with the EU than the other way around.
___
Lawless reported from London.


washingtontimes--2020-12-24--2 months after hurricanes, Louisiana residents still hurting

LAKE CHARLES , La .
( AP ) - As southwest Louisiana recovers from the back-to-back hurricanes that hammered the region this year , signs of progress compete with lingering evidence of mass destruction .
The fallen trees that carpeted neighborhoods have mostly been chopped up and hauled away , but the roofs they devoured are still covered in blue tarps .
Piles of debris still line the roads .
Brandy Monticello is thankful for the progress .
She and her wife no longer have to go to the Civic Center just to get basics like drinking water or ice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the trailer the family is living in to the hospital where she works as a respiratory therapist , she sees how much still needs to be done .
Every day , another house demolished .
So many tarps on those still standing .
“ It ’ s almost overwhelming by the time you get home , ” she said .
“ You do have to cry every once in a while just to let some emotions out.
” In a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic , a deeply divisive election and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worry that the hurricanes and their destruction have not gotten the kind of attention that normally leads to an outpouring of support .
Aid efforts after Laura and Delta have only garnered about 25 % of the volunteers and donations as other storms affecting the region , such as 2005′s Hurricane Rita , said Denise Durel , president and CEO of the United Way of Southwest Louisiana .
Hurricane Laura roared ashore in southwestern Louisiana on Aug. 27 as a Category 4 storm just south of Lake Charles .
On Oct. 9 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swept in just a few miles away .
What didn ’ t get scoured by Laura ’ s winds was swamped by Delta ’ s rains .
Delta also ripped off the tarps that had gone up on roofs after Laura .
According to Louisiana government figures , nearly 47,000 homes were damaged by Hurricane Laura , with about 16,000 of those in need of major repairs .
The bulk of those homes are in Calcasieu Parish , home to the state ’ s fifth-largest city , Lake Charles , with 80,000 residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Gulf of Mexico , many homes were simply erased by Laura .
Initial estimates from disaster modeling firm Karen Clark & Co. put the combined insured U.S. losses from Laura and Delta at nearly $ 10 billion .
“ The first one was a big blow .
The second one just was an insult , ” Monticello said .
In the early weeks after the first hurricane , she , her spouse , and three sons lived all together in the living room .
They realized just how damaged the house was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in .
The Monticellos have since reached into their savings to buy a trailer and a truck to haul it so they have someplace to live while their house is being rebuilt .
There is a scarcity of just about everything : good contractors , storage containers , affordable apartments , staff for the businesses that are open .
A Facebook group set up after Hurricane Laura has become a lifeline for struggling residents .
A recent posting asked for advice on keeping campers warm in winter or keeping mice out of trailers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ What does everyone need , ” prompting a stream of answers such as , “ Drywalling lessons and classes on how to handle an insurance claim ” or “ HOPE .
Hope that things will get better.
” Wilfred Trahan remembers driving home for the first time after Laura and seeing every telephone pole for miles snapped at the base .
Roof after roof smashed .
Like many homes , his two-story house looked OK from the outside but told a different story inside .
His chimney had smashed through the roof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of his shingles , leading to extensive water damage .
The house had to be gutted .
Now he commutes back and forth from Lafayette , about 75 miles ( 121 kilometers ) away , where he and his wife are living in a hotel .
Sometimes he stays overnight with family or friends whose houses survived .
On a recent day , he arrived at his property at 6 a.m. only to find that the contractor who was supposed to meet him there was a no-show .
He counts himself lucky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a damaged , lopsided one - surrounding his backyard .
That means he can put supplies there and they don ’ t get stolen overnight .
“ Everybody ’ s fighting for the same contractors , ” he said .
“ It ’ s been crazy.
” The biggest shortage is housing .
Many residents are still living in hotels in Texas or other parts of Louisiana and commuting into town to oversee their rebuilding or entrusting the work to contractors from afar .
Residents have bought trailers and parked them in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s what happened to Cristin Trahan and her family .
Having weathered Laura in a house south of Lake Charles , she struggled to hold her emotions in check in front of her kids when she saw what had happened to her mobile home .
“ It was several , several feet over , upside down , smashed , ” she said .
Cristin ’ s son , fiancé and 1-year-old son are now staying in a trailer that volunteers gave them .
Trahan said she didn ’ t want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s dogs to a shelter , and looters have gone through their possessions , so the family decided to remain on the property .
They ’ ve struggled to keep the rain out of their tent .
Trahan , who works at Chick-fil-A , washes her uniform and dries it by the warmth of a propane heater and a fan in her tent .
She said she is constantly aware of the things that she used to take for granted before Laura , such as being able to wash dishes in hot water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cold water from an outside hose .
Brandy and Christy Monticello struggled with the decision : Stay or go ?
Finally , even after others had picked up , sold everything and left , they decided to stay put .
It ’ s still their home , after all .
The sound of workers nailing in their new roof on a recent Saturday morning was a sign of progress .
“ It ’ s not our normal and we don ’ t know what normal is , but you know what ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s all we can do , ” she said .
Associated Press Photographer Gerald Herbert contributed to this report .

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - As southwest Louisiana recovers from the back-to-back hurricanes that hammered the region this year, signs of progress compete with lingering evidence of mass destruction. The fallen trees that carpeted neighborhoods have mostly been chopped up and hauled away, but the roofs they devoured are still covered in blue tarps. Piles of debris still line the roads.
Christy Monticello is thankful for the progress. She and her wife no longer have to go to the Civic Center just to get basics like drinking water or ice. But during her daily 45-minute commute from the trailer the family is living in to the hospital where she works as a respiratory therapist, she sees how much still needs to be done. Every day, another house demolished. So many tarps on those still standing.
“It’s almost overwhelming by the time you get home,” she said. “You do have to cry every once in a while just to let some emotions out.”
In a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, a deeply divisive election and a national reckoning on race, some worry that the hurricanes and their destruction have not gotten the kind of attention that normally leads to an outpouring of support.
Aid efforts after Laura and Delta have only garnered about 25% of the volunteers and donations as other storms affecting the region, such as 2005′s Hurricane Rita, said Denise Durel, president and CEO of the United Way of Southwest Louisiana.
Hurricane Laura roared ashore in southwestern Louisiana on Aug. 27 as a Category 4 storm just south of Lake Charles. On Oct. 9, recovering residents watched as Category 2 Delta swept in just a few miles away. What didn’t get scoured by Laura’s winds was swamped by Delta’s rains. Delta also ripped off the tarps that had gone up on roofs after Laura.
According to Louisiana government figures, nearly 47,000 homes were damaged by Hurricane Laura, with about 16,000 of those in need of major repairs. The bulk of those homes are in Calcasieu Parish, home to the state’s fifth-largest city, Lake Charles, with 80,000 residents. In the less-populated Cameron Parish on the Gulf of Mexico, many homes were simply erased by Laura.
Initial estimates from disaster modeling firm Karen Clark & Co. put the combined insured U.S. losses from Laura and Delta at nearly $10 billion.
“The first one was a big blow. The second one just was an insult,” Monticello said. In the early weeks after the first hurricane, she, her spouse, and three sons lived all together in the living room. They realized just how damaged the house was when Delta arrived and water started streaming in.
The Monticellos have since reached into their savings to buy a trailer and a truck to haul it so they have someplace to live while their house is being rebuilt.
There is a scarcity of just about everything: good contractors, storage containers, affordable apartments, staff for the businesses that are open. A Facebook group set up after Hurricane Laura has become a lifeline for struggling residents. A recent posting asked for advice on keeping campers warm in winter or keeping mice out of trailers. Another posting asked the question, “What does everyone need,” prompting a stream of answers such as, “Drywalling lessons and classes on how to handle an insurance claim” or “HOPE. Hope that things will get better.”
Wilfred Trahan remembers driving home for the first time after Laura and seeing every telephone pole for miles snapped at the base. Roof after roof smashed. Like many homes, his two-story house looked OK from the outside but told a different story inside. His chimney had smashed through the roof and he estimated he lost about 80% of his shingles, leading to extensive water damage. The house had to be gutted.
Now he commutes back and forth from Lafayette, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) away, where he and his wife are living in a hotel. Sometimes he stays overnight with family or friends whose houses survived. On a recent day, he arrived at his property at 6 a.m. only to find that the contractor who was supposed to meet him there was a no-show. He counts himself lucky because he has a fence - albeit a damaged, lopsided one - surrounding his backyard. That means he can put supplies there and they don’t get stolen overnight.
“Everybody’s fighting for the same contractors,” he said. “It’s been crazy.”
The biggest shortage is housing. Many residents are still living in hotels in Texas or other parts of Louisiana and commuting into town to oversee their rebuilding or entrusting the work to contractors from afar. Residents have bought trailers and parked them in their driveways. Others sleep in tents.
That’s what happened to Cristin Trahan and her family. Having weathered Laura in a house south of Lake Charles, she struggled to hold her emotions in check in front of her kids when she saw what had happened to her mobile home.
“It was several, several feet over, upside down, smashed,” she said.
Cristin’s son, fiancé and 1-year-old son are now staying in a trailer that volunteers gave them. Trahan said she didn’t want to take her family and the family’s dogs to a shelter, and looters have gone through their possessions, so the family decided to remain on the property.
They’ve struggled to keep the rain out of their tent. Trahan, who works at Chick-fil-A, washes her uniform and dries it by the warmth of a propane heater and a fan in her tent. She said she is constantly aware of the things that she used to take for granted before Laura, such as being able to wash dishes in hot water so the grease actually comes off instead of cold water from an outside hose.
Brandy and Christy Monticello struggled with the decision: Stay or go? Finally, even after others had picked up, sold everything and left, they decided to stay put. It’s still their home, after all.
The sound of workers nailing in their new roof on a recent Saturday morning was a sign of progress.
“It’s not our normal and we don’t know what normal is, but you know what? We’re doing it. And that’s all we can do,” she said.
__
Associated Press Photographer Gerald Herbert contributed to this report.
__
This story has been updated to correct the first name from Brandy to Christy in the second paragraph.
__
Follow Santana on Twitter @ruskygal.


washingtontimes--2020-12-24--World markets advance despite Trump talk of veto on stimulus

Shares were mostly higher in thin Christmas Eve trading on Thursday , despite President Donald Trump ’ s threat not to sign a major economic stimulus package approved by Congress this week .
Benchmarks rose in Paris , Tokyo , Hong Kong and Sydney and other regional markets .
London was little changed and U.S. futures edged higher .
Stocks fell in Shanghai after China ’ s market regulator said it has launched an anti-monopoly investigation of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group , stepping up official efforts to tighten control over the country ’ s fast-growing tech industries .
China ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently summoned six companies , including Alibaba and other e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Pinduoduo , gaming company Tencent , food delivery firm Meituan and ridesharing firm Didi Chuxing to discuss other aspects of their operations .
The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.6 % to 3,363.11 .
Shares also fell on the smaller market in southern China ’ s Shenzhen .
But elsewhere , investors were in a buying mood .
The CAC 40 in Paris edged 0.1 % higher to 5,533.14 and Britain ’ s FTSE 100 was nearly unchanged at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed .
The future for the S & P ; 500 gained 0.2 % , as did the future for the Dow industrials .
In other Asian trading , Tokyo ’ s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.5 % to 26,668.35 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong edged 0.2 % higher , to 26,386.56 .
In South Korea , the Kospi climbed 1.7 % to 2,806.86 .
Australia ’ s S & P ; /ASX 200 rose 0.3 % to 6,664.80 .
“ Although some reshuffling of portfolios in emerging Asia was to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the underlying theme is a positive one , ” Jeffrey Halley of Oanda said in a commentary .
On Wednesday , the S & P ; 500 inched up 0.1 % to 3,690.01 .
The benchmark index set a record high on Thursday and is up 14.2 % so far this year .
An avalanche of data on the U.S. economy showed a mixed picture .
The Labor Department said fewer U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week .
The number is still incredibly high compared with before the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expecting .
Another report said that orders for long-lasting goods strengthened by more than expected last month , a good sign for the nation ’ s manufacturers .
Other reports were grimmer .
Consumers pulled back on their spending by more last month than economists expected , mainly because of a drop in income .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.4 % to 30,129.83 .
The Nasdaq composite fell 0.3 % , to 12,771.11 , while the Russell 2000 index climbed above the 2,000-point mark for the first time .
It gained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have taken in stride President Donald Trump ’ s comment that he may not sign the $ 900 billion rescue for the economy that Congress approved Monday night .
The hope has been that the package might tide the economy over until widespread vaccinations can help the world begin to return to normal .
The legislation includes one-time cash payments of $ 600 to most Americans , extra benefits for laid-off workers and other financial support .
Trump said he wants to see bigger cash payments going to most Americans , up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also criticized other parts of the bill .
“ Despite the churning of the Washington D.C. pond by vetos , new votes , and overrides , Wall Street clearly believes something positive will float to the top of the barrel when the churning stops , ” Halley said .
The yield on the 10-year Treasury was steady at 0.95 % .
In other trading , U.S. benchmark crude gained 16 cents to $ 48.28 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange .
It gained $ 1.10 to $ 48.12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international standard , added 18 cents to $ 51.42 per barrel .
The dollar rose to 103.59 Japanese yen from 103.54 yen late Wednesday .
The euro rose to $ 1.2200 from $ 1.2192 .

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks closed slightly higher on Christmas Eve, as investors went into the holiday weekend not bothered by President Donald Trump’s threat not to sign a major economic stimulus package approved by Congress this week.
Trading was extremely light in the abbreviated session ahead of the Christmas holiday. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq ended at 1 p.m. ET instead of the usual 4 p.m. ET. Volume was a less than half of a typical trading day.
The S&P 500 index closed up 13.05 points, or 0.4%, to 3703.06. Despite the gains, the index ended the week down 0.2%. Relatively safe investments like utilities and real estate were among the biggest gainers, while energy stocks fell.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 70.04 points, or 0.2%, to 30,199.87 and the Nasdaq composite rose 33.62 points, or 0.3%, to 12,804.73.
Investors remain focused on Washington, where Democrats in Congress are expected to try to make alterations to the $900 billion COVID stimulus bill that President Trump has threatened to veto. Trump has asked for higher individual payments to Americans, something Democrats support but which is unlikely to get a vote in the Republican-held Senate.
The hope has been that Trump will back away from his veto threat and the stimulus package might tide the economy over until widespread vaccinations can help the world begin to return to normal.
Meanwhile the U.S. economy continues to deteriorate under widespread coronavirus outbreaks, infections and hospitalizations. The Labor Department said fewer U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week. The number is still incredibly high compared with before the pandemic, but it was better than economists were expecting.
Other reports were grimmer. Consumers pulled back on their spending by more last month than economists expected, mainly because of a drop in income.
“Despite the churning of the Washington D.C. pond by vetoes, new votes, and overrides, Wall Street clearly believes something positive will float to the top of the barrel when the churning stops,” Jeffrey Halley of Oanda said in a commentary to investors.
___
AP Business Writers Stan Choe, Alex Veiga and Joe McDonald contributed.


washingtontimes--2020-12-24--In a northern town brutalized by IS, Iraq tests its power

SINJAR , Iraq ( AP ) — One by one , the flags belonging to a patchwork of armed forces were lowered in a northern Iraqi town once brutalized by the Islamic State group .
The territorial claims symbolized by each were replaced by the fluttering of just one : The Iraqi state ’ s .
The hoisting of the national flag in Sinjar , home to Iraq ’ s Yazidi religious minority , is the result of a deal months in the making for the federal government to restore order from a tangled web of paramilitaries , who sowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following liberation from IS three years ago .
This month , Iraq ’ s army deployed there for the first time since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein .
Lt. Imad Hasan hiked up a rocky ascent overlooking the deserted ruins of Sinjar ’ s old town , vacant since IS was dislodged .
His gaze fell on a lookout on the other side of the mountain - the last , he said , that belongs to a local affiliate of an outlawed Kurdish guerrilla group , known as the PKK .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ Their leaders have agreed to withdraw , but some of their fighters have not.
” Sealing the deal was hard enough .
Implementing it brings new problems .
Critics say it will take more than a change of flags to cement rule of law in Sinjar .
The Yazidis , traumatized by the mass killing and enslavement that IS unleashed against them , have no trust in the Iraqi authorities they say abandoned them to the militants ’ brutality .
With the central government weak , they fear militias @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gain sway over them .
The militias policing Sinjar the past three years are a mix .
They include peshmerga fighters from Iraq ’ s Kurdish autonomy zone , as well as the PKK and its affiliate made up of local Yazidi fighters , called the Sinjar Resistance Units or YBS .
There are also Yazidi units belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces , an umbrella group of state-sanctioned paramilitaries created in 2014 to defeat IS .
There are signs of recovery of Sinjar .
Its city center hummed with shoppers , merchants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More of the 200,000 Yazidis displaced by the 2014 IS onslaught are coming back - some 21,600 returning between June to September , many times the rate of previous years .
But scratch the surface , and almost everyone harbors raw , unresolved trauma .
Everyone vividly recalls the IS attack that murdered fathers and sons , enslaved thousands of women and sent survivors fleeing up Sinjar mountain .
In Sinjar ’ s market , a farmer , Zaidan Khalaf , introduced himself first by telling The Associated Press how many relatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Others in the market did the same .
“ We lost our dignity , ” he said .
Communities remain deeply divided and bitterly resentful of one another .
“ What agreement ?
” scoffed Farzo Mato Sabo , an 86-year-old in the predominantly Yazidi village of Tal Binat , south of Sinjar .
She and her three daughters were taken by IS militants and later saved by smugglers .
Eleven of her family members are still unaccounted for .
“ I lost everyone , ” she sobbed .
“ Will it bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the Sunni Arab village of Khailo .
“ We used to be like brothers , but now the Yazidis stay away from us , ” said a tribal elder , Sheikh Naif Ibrahim .
“ They can ’ t distinguish between civilians and IS members.
” Many Yazidis accuse local Sunni Arabs of supporting IS .
Since the militants ’ fall , Sunni Arabs have had frictions with Yazidi militias - and a number of Sunnis have been killed .
At the same time , many Yazidis reject the Kurdish peshmerga , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their domain .
“ Seven flags ruled over us , you never knew who had power over you which day , ” said Khalaf , the farmer .
The U.N. has focused on the return of displaced Yazidis , but this is not the only criterion for success , said Sajad Jiyad , a fellow at The Century Foundation .
“ It ’ s about services , schools , security and the ability to move around without being shaken down by various groups , ” he said .
“ This is a test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-war liberation , ” he said .
“ Is the government prepared enough to allow the return to normalcy ?
” The Iraqi military will secure the area for now , with other factions leaving their positions , although many remain in the Sinjar area .
Under the plan , the Kurdish authority is to appoint a mayor - a prospect many Yazidis oppose - and local police are eventually to take over security , working under the government ’ s intelligence agency and National Security Adviser .
The plan calls for 2,500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Most Yazidi leaders and residents interviewed said they were irate the community was not consulted by the government in the making of the plan .
“ We are the ones who sacrificed , lost our lives , ” said Fahed Hamed , Sinjar ’ s district mayor .
“ We should have been the main interlocutors.
” “ We want a force from our own .
We don ’ t trust anyone.
” The force most trusted by locals is a faction the plan seeks to eject - the YBS , whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other forces retreated from the IS onslaught in 2014 , many recall it was the YBS that fought to secure a safe route for civilians .
“ They were the only ones who stayed to protect us , ” said Sherko Khalaf , a Yazidi village mukhtar .
Despite protests by locals , negotiations led to the withdrawal of YBS from Sinjar ’ s city center .
YBS fighters interviewed said they expected to be subsumed as a unit of the Popular Mobilization Forces , providing them with much-needed political legitimacy .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already on the PMF payroll .
In theory , the plan calls for the PMF to end its presence in the city as well .
To date , they are supporting forces and securing Sinjar ’ s peripheries .
But Khan Ali , the commander of the Laslish Brigades , a Yazidi unit of the group , told the AP , “ The ( PMF ) will stay forever , we are kings over the heads of the security forces in Sinjar.
” That prospect has divided Yazidis .
Some want Yazidi PMF @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Others fear it will bring Sinjar under the influence of the Shiite Arab factions close to Iran that dominate the umbrella group .
“ If the international community and central government don ’ t care about Sinjar , the PMF will take control , ” one prominent Yazidi leader said , requesting anonymity to speak freely .
“ This is clear .
”

SINJAR, Iraq (AP) — One by one, the flags belonging to a patchwork of armed forces were lowered in a northern Iraqi town once brutalized by the Islamic State group. The territorial claims symbolized by each were replaced by the fluttering of just one: The Iraqi state’s.
The hoisting of the national flag in Sinjar, home to Iraq’s Yazidi religious minority, is the result of a deal months in the making for the federal government to restore order from a tangled web of paramilitaries, who sowed chaos in the district during the bedlam following liberation from IS three years ago.
This month, Iraq’s army deployed there for the first time since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein.
Lt. Imad Hasan hiked up a rocky ascent overlooking the deserted ruins of Sinjar’s old town, vacant since IS was dislodged. His gaze fell on a lookout on the other side of the mountain - the last, he said, that belongs to a local affiliate of an outlawed Kurdish guerrilla group, known as the PKK.
“We have problems with them,” he said. “Their leaders have agreed to withdraw, but some of their fighters have not.”
Sealing the deal was hard enough. Implementing it brings new problems. Critics say it will take more than a change of flags to cement rule of law in Sinjar.
The Yazidis, traumatized by the mass killing and enslavement that IS unleashed against them, have no trust in the Iraqi authorities they say abandoned them to the militants’ brutality. With the central government weak, they fear militias - including Iranian-backed Shiite factions - will gain sway over them.
The militias policing Sinjar the past three years are a mix. They include peshmerga fighters from Iraq’s Kurdish autonomy zone, as well as the PKK and its affiliate made up of local Yazidi fighters, called the Sinjar Resistance Units or YBS. There are also Yazidi units belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of state-sanctioned paramilitaries created in 2014 to defeat IS.
There are signs of recovery of Sinjar. Its city center hummed with shoppers, merchants - and the odd Iraqi army tank. More of the 200,000 Yazidis displaced by the 2014 IS onslaught are coming back - some 21,600 returning between June to September, many times the rate of previous years.
But scratch the surface, and almost everyone harbors raw, unresolved trauma. Everyone vividly recalls the IS attack that murdered fathers and sons, enslaved thousands of women and sent survivors fleeing up Sinjar mountain.
In Sinjar’s market, a farmer, Zaidan Khalaf, introduced himself first by telling The Associated Press how many relatives he lost under IS: 18. Others in the market did the same.
“We lost our dignity,” he said.
Communities remain deeply divided and bitterly resentful of one another.
“What agreement?” scoffed Farzo Mato Sabo, an 86-year-old in the predominantly Yazidi village of Tal Binat, south of Sinjar. She and her three daughters were taken by IS militants and later saved by smugglers. Eleven of her family members are still unaccounted for.
“I lost everyone,” she sobbed. “Will it bring them back?”
Neighboring Tal Binat is the Sunni Arab village of Khailo.
“We used to be like brothers, but now the Yazidis stay away from us,” said a tribal elder, Sheikh Naif Ibrahim. “They can’t distinguish between civilians and IS members.”
Many Yazidis accuse local Sunni Arabs of supporting IS. Since the militants’ fall, Sunni Arabs have had frictions with Yazidi militias - and a number of Sunnis have been killed. At the same time, many Yazidis reject the Kurdish peshmerga, who consider the Sinjar area part of their domain.
“Seven flags ruled over us, you never knew who had power over you which day,” said Khalaf, the farmer.
The U.N. has focused on the return of displaced Yazidis, but this is not the only criterion for success, said Sajad Jiyad, a fellow at The Century Foundation. “It’s about services, schools, security and the ability to move around without being shaken down by various groups,” he said.
“This is a test for the effectiveness of post-war governance and post-war liberation,” he said. “Is the government prepared enough to allow the return to normalcy?”
The Iraqi military will secure the area for now, with other factions leaving their positions, although many remain in the Sinjar area. Under the plan, the Kurdish authority is to appoint a mayor - a prospect many Yazidis oppose - and local police are eventually to take over security, working under the government’s intelligence agency and National Security Adviser. The plan calls for 2,500 new security personnel to be hired locally.
Most Yazidi leaders and residents interviewed said they were irate the community was not consulted by the government in the making of the plan.
“We are the ones who sacrificed, lost our lives,” said Fahed Hamed, Sinjar’s district mayor. “We should have been the main interlocutors.”
“We want a force from our own. We don’t trust anyone.”
The force most trusted by locals is a faction the plan seeks to eject - the YBS, whose fighters are largely Sinjar Yazidis. While other forces retreated from the IS onslaught in 2014, many recall it was the YBS that fought to secure a safe route for civilians.
“They were the only ones who stayed to protect us,” said Sherko Khalaf, a Yazidi village mukhtar.
Despite protests by locals, negotiations led to the withdrawal of YBS from Sinjar’s city center.
YBS fighters interviewed said they expected to be subsumed as a unit of the Popular Mobilization Forces, providing them with much-needed political legitimacy. A portion of the 2,500-3,500 YBS fighters are already on the PMF payroll.
In theory, the plan calls for the PMF to end its presence in the city as well. To date, they are supporting forces and securing Sinjar’s peripheries. But Khan Ali, the commander of the Laslish Brigades, a Yazidi unit of the group, told the AP, “The (PMF) will stay forever, we are kings over the heads of the security forces in Sinjar.”
That prospect has divided Yazidis. Some want Yazidi PMF factions included in the security arrangement. Others fear it will bring Sinjar under the influence of the Shiite Arab factions close to Iran that dominate the umbrella group.
“If the international community and central government don’t care about Sinjar, the PMF will take control,” one prominent Yazidi leader said, requesting anonymity to speak freely. “This is clear.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-24--The autopsy, a fading practice, revealed secrets of COVID-19

NEW YORK ( AP ) - The COVID-19 pandemic has helped revive the autopsy .
When the virus first arrived in U.S. hospitals , doctors could only guess what was causing its strange constellation of symptoms : What could explain why patients were losing their sense of smell and taste , developing skin rashes , struggling to breathe and reporting memory loss on top of flu-like coughs and aches ?
At hospital morgues , which have been steadily losing prominence and funding over several decades , pathologists were busily dissecting the disease ’ s first victims - and finding some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from clinicians , kind of desperate , asking , ‘ What are you seeing ?
’ ” said NYU Langone ’ s Dr. Amy Rapkiewicz .
‘ Autopsy , ’ she pointed out , means to see for yourself .
“ That ’ s exactly what we had to do.
” Early autopsies of deceased patients confirmed the coronavirus does not just cause respiratory disease , but can also attack other vital organs .
They also led doctors to try blood thinners in some COVID-19 patients and reconsider how long others should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t treat what you don ’ t know about , ” said Dr. Alex Williamson , a pathologist at Northwell Health in New York .
“ Many lives have been saved by looking closely at someone ’ s death.
” Autopsies have informed medicine for centuries - most recently helping to reveal the extent of the opioid epidemic , improve cancer care and demystify AIDS and anthrax .
Hospitals were once judged by how many autopsies they performed .
But they ’ ve lost stature over the years as the medical world instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 1950 , the practice was conducted on about half of deceased hospital patients .
Today , those rates have shrunk to somewhere between 5 % and 11 % .
“ It ’ s really kind of a lost tool , ” said Louisiana State University pathologist Dr. Richard Vander Heide .
Some hospitals found it even harder this year .
Safety concerns about transmission forced many hospital administrators to stop or seriously curb autopsies in 2020 .
The pandemic also led to a general dip in the total number patients at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates in some places .
Large hospitals around the country have reported conducting fewer autopsies in 2020 .
“ Overall , our numbers are down , pretty significantly , ” from 270 autopsies in recent years to about 200 so far this year , said Dr. Allecia Wilson , director of autopsies and forensic services at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor .
At the University of Washington in Seattle , pathologist Dr. Desiree Marshall couldn ’ t conduct COVID-19 autopsies in her usual suite because , as one of the hospital ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ventilation to safely conduct the procedure .
Marshall ended up borrowing the county medical examiner offices for a few cases early on , and has been working out of the school ’ s animal research facilities since April .
Other hospitals went the opposite way , performing far more autopsies even under difficult circumstances to try to better understand the pandemic and keep up with a surge of deaths that has resulted in at least 400,000 more U.S. deaths than normal .
At New Orleans University Medical Center , where Vander Heide works @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more autopsies than they have in recent years .
Other hospitals in Alabama , California , Tennessee , New York and Virginia say they ’ ll also surpass their usual annual tally for the procedure .
Their results have shaped our understanding of what COVID-19 does to the body and how we might combat it .
In spring and early summer , for example , some seriously sick coronavirus patients were on ventilators for weeks at a time .
Later , pathologists discovered such extended ventilation could cause extensive lung injury , leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the pandemic .
Doctors are now exploring whether blood thinners can prevent microscopic blood clots that had been discovered in patients early in the pandemic .
Autopsy studies also indicated the virus may travel through the blood stream or hitch a ride on infected cells , spreading to and impacting a person ’ s blood vessels , heart , brain , liver , kidneys and colon .
This finding helped explain the virus ’ s wide range of symptoms .
More findings are sure to come : Pathologists have stocked freezers with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which will help researchers study the disease as well as possible cures and treatments .
Future autopsies will also help them understand the disease ’ s toll on long haulers , those who suffer symptoms for weeks or months after infection .
Despite these life-saving discoveries being made during the pandemic , financial realities and a dwindling workforce mean it ’ s unlikely that the ancient medical practice will fully rebound when the outbreak wanes .
Hospitals are not required to provide autopsy services , and in those that do perform them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not directly covered by most private insurance or by Medicare .
“ When you consider there ’ s no reimbursement for this , it ’ s almost an altruistic practice , ” said Rutgers University pathologist Dr. Billie Fyfe-Kirschner .
“ It ’ s vitally important but we don ’ t have to fund it.
” Added into the mix : The number of experts who can actually perform autopsies is critically low .
Estimates suggest the U.S. has only a few hundred forensic pathologists but could use several thousand - and less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students enters the profession each year .
Some in the field hope the 2020 pandemic could boost recruitment to the field - just like the “ CSI boom ” of the early 2000s , Northwell ’ s Williamson said .
Michigan Medicine ’ s Wilson is more skeptical , but even still she can ’ t imagine her work becoming totally obsolete .
Learning from the dead to treat the living - it ’ s a pillar of medicine , she said .
It helped doctors understand the mysteries of 1918 ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helping them understand the mysteries of COVID-19 more than a century later .
“ They were in the same situation , ” Vander Heide said of the doctors trying to save lives in 1918 .
“ The only way to learn what was going on was to open up the body and see.
” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .

NEW YORK (AP) - The COVID-19 pandemic has helped revive the autopsy.
When the virus first arrived in U.S. hospitals, doctors could only guess what was causing its strange constellation of symptoms: What could explain why patients were losing their sense of smell and taste, developing skin rashes, struggling to breathe and reporting memory loss on top of flu-like coughs and aches?
At hospital morgues, which have been steadily losing prominence and funding over several decades, pathologists were busily dissecting the disease’s first victims - and finding some answers.
“We were getting emails from clinicians, kind of desperate, asking, ‘What are you seeing?’” said NYU Langone’s Dr. Amy Rapkiewicz. ‘Autopsy,’ she pointed out, means to see for yourself. “That’s exactly what we had to do.”
Early autopsies of deceased patients confirmed the coronavirus does not just cause respiratory disease, but can also attack other vital organs. They also led doctors to try blood thinners in some COVID-19 patients and reconsider how long others should be on ventilators.
“You can’t treat what you don’t know about,” said Dr. Alex Williamson, a pathologist at Northwell Health in New York. “Many lives have been saved by looking closely at someone’s death.”
Autopsies have informed medicine for centuries - most recently helping to reveal the extent of the opioid epidemic, improve cancer care and demystify AIDS and anthrax. Hospitals were once judged by how many autopsies they performed.
But they’ve lost stature over the years as the medical world instead turned to lab tests and imaging scans. In 1950, the practice was conducted on about half of deceased hospital patients. Today, those rates have shrunk to somewhere between 5% and 11%.
“It’s really kind of a lost tool,” said Louisiana State University pathologist Dr. Richard Vander Heide.
Some hospitals found it even harder this year. Safety concerns about transmission forced many hospital administrators to stop or seriously curb autopsies in 2020. The pandemic also led to a general dip in the total number patients at many hospitals, which drove down autopsy rates in some places. Large hospitals around the country have reported conducting fewer autopsies in 2020.
“Overall, our numbers are down, pretty significantly,” from 270 autopsies in recent years to about 200 so far this year, said Dr. Allecia Wilson, director of autopsies and forensic services at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor.
At the University of Washington in Seattle, pathologist Dr. Desiree Marshall couldn’t conduct COVID-19 autopsies in her usual suite because, as one of the hospital’s oldest facilities, it lacks the proper ventilation to safely conduct the procedure. Marshall ended up borrowing the county medical examiner offices for a few cases early on, and has been working out of the school’s animal research facilities since April.
Other hospitals went the opposite way, performing far more autopsies even under difficult circumstances to try to better understand the pandemic and keep up with a surge of deaths that has resulted in at least 400,000 more U.S. deaths than normal.
At New Orleans University Medical Center, where Vander Heide works, pathologists have performed about 50% more autopsies than they have in recent years. Other hospitals in Alabama, California, Tennessee, New York and Virginia say they’ll also surpass their usual annual tally for the procedure.
Their results have shaped our understanding of what COVID-19 does to the body and how we might combat it.
In spring and early summer, for example, some seriously sick coronavirus patients were on ventilators for weeks at a time. Later, pathologists discovered such extended ventilation could cause extensive lung injury, leading doctors to rethink how they use ventilators during the pandemic.
Doctors are now exploring whether blood thinners can prevent microscopic blood clots that had been discovered in patients early in the pandemic.
Autopsy studies also indicated the virus may travel through the blood stream or hitch a ride on infected cells, spreading to and impacting a person’s blood vessels, heart, brain, liver, kidneys and colon. This finding helped explain the virus’s wide range of symptoms.
More findings are sure to come: Pathologists have stocked freezers with coronavirus-infected organs and tissues collected during autopsies, which will help researchers study the disease as well as possible cures and treatments. Future autopsies will also help them understand the disease’s toll on long haulers, those who suffer symptoms for weeks or months after infection.
Despite these life-saving discoveries being made during the pandemic, financial realities and a dwindling workforce mean it’s unlikely that the ancient medical practice will fully rebound when the outbreak wanes.
Hospitals are not required to provide autopsy services, and in those that do perform them, the procedure’s costs are not directly covered by most private insurance or by Medicare.
“When you consider there’s no reimbursement for this, it’s almost an altruistic practice,” said Rutgers University pathologist Dr. Billie Fyfe-Kirschner. “It’s vitally important but we don’t have to fund it.”
Added into the mix: The number of experts who can actually perform autopsies is critically low. Estimates suggest the U.S. has only a few hundred forensic pathologists but could use several thousand - and less than one in 100 graduating medical school students enters the profession each year.
Some in the field hope the 2020 pandemic could boost recruitment to the field - just like the “CSI boom” of the early 2000s, Northwell’s Williamson said.
Michigan Medicine’s Wilson is more skeptical, but even still she can’t imagine her work becoming totally obsolete. Learning from the dead to treat the living - it’s a pillar of medicine, she said.
It helped doctors understand the mysteries of 1918’s influenza pandemic, just at is now helping them understand the mysteries of COVID-19 more than a century later.
“They were in the same situation,” Vander Heide said of the doctors trying to save lives in 1918. “The only way to learn what was going on was to open up the body and see.”
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


washingtontimes--2020-12-24--Anti-virus controls strand merchant sailors aboard ships

BEIJING ( AP ) - The crew of the U.S.-owned Horizon Spirit expect to spend Christmas looking after their 800-foot ( 240-meter ) long container ship in a southern Chinese shipyard , barred , like thousands of sailors worldwide , from going ashore due to coronavirus restrictions .
Most of the 22-member crew that left Los Angeles on Oct. 22 have been confined to the ship while it is being overhauled in Nantong in eastern China , said its third mate , Harvey Smith .
Normally , they would have moved to a hotel to avoid welding , painting and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the paint fumes are so bad that we have to wear a mask to the galley to pick up our food , ” said Smith , of Wilmington , California , by phone from Nantong , northwest of Shanghai on the Yangtze River .
Worldwide , nearly 400,000 merchant sailors who transport food , medical supplies and other goods are blocked from going ashore , according to the International Chamber of Shipping , an industry group .
Some have been aboard their ships for up to 17 months .
Anti-virus controls and visa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from flying in to replace ship crews .
The secretary-general of the U.N. International Maritime Organization , Kitack Lim , has called it a “ crew change crisis.
” Chinese factories and stores have reopened since the ruling Communist Party declared the virus under control in March .
That has driven a surge in demand for imported oil , industrial components and consumer goods .
But few new visas are being issued , meaning many foreign sailors can not leave their ships .
China stopped issuing new visas in March .
In October @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replace crews in Shanghai and nine other ports , but not Nantong .
Aboard the Horizon Spirit , Smith said he spends his days as a fire lookout while dozens of Chinese electricians , welders , painters and other workers overhaul the ship .
The crew set up blowers to keep fumes out of living areas .
“ There are lots of other ships here .
As I do my rounds , I see crew members on other ships , ” said Smith .
“ It looks like they are restricted also.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but his latest 5-year , multiple-entry visa expired in April .
The Chinese visa office in Los Angeles was closed , but he and other crew members had expected to still get permission to leave the ship in Nantong .
Chinese health officials have tested them six times for the coronavirus and found none infected , he said , but there was no word on whether they might be allowed to apply for visas .
“ Normally , when a ship goes into a shipyard , they send the whole crew ashore to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smith .
“ We ’ ve been here over 40 days.
” A few crew members have made makeshift Christmas decorations , but Friday will be a normal work day , Smith said .
“ We really don ’ t have any plans , ” he said .
Five sailors were allowed to go to a hotel because their visas still were valid , Smith said .
The others are “ confined to the vessel , can not even leave the gangway , ” he said .
He said the ship is scheduled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after picking up cargo in Shanghai .
The Nantong port administration and visa bureau didn ’ t respond to questions about how many sailors might be affected and whether any had been granted visas after arriving .
On Dec. 1 , the U.N. General Assembly called on governments in a resolution to designate ship crews as “ essential workers ” to ease their travel .
It said merchant ships moved 11 billion tons of goods last year , which is “ essential to the normal functioning of society.
” “ Land is right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even go down the gangway , ” said Smith .
“ Too bad .
”

BEIJING (AP) - The crew of the U.S.-owned Horizon Spirit expect to spend Christmas looking after their 800-foot (240-meter) long container ship in a southern Chinese shipyard, barred, like thousands of sailors worldwide, from going ashore due to coronavirus restrictions.
Most of the 22-member crew that left Los Angeles on Oct. 22 have been confined to the ship while it is being overhauled in Nantong in eastern China, said its third mate, Harvey Smith. Normally, they would have moved to a hotel to avoid welding, painting and other work.
“Just now, the paint fumes are so bad that we have to wear a mask to the galley to pick up our food,” said Smith, of Wilmington, California, by phone from Nantong, northwest of Shanghai on the Yangtze River.
Worldwide, nearly 400,000 merchant sailors who transport food, medical supplies and other goods are blocked from going ashore, according to the International Chamber of Shipping, an industry group. Some have been aboard their ships for up to 17 months.
Anti-virus controls and visa restrictions in many countries prevent foreign sailors from flying in to replace ship crews. The secretary-general of the U.N. International Maritime Organization, Kitack Lim, has called it a “crew change crisis.”
Chinese factories and stores have reopened since the ruling Communist Party declared the virus under control in March. That has driven a surge in demand for imported oil, industrial components and consumer goods. But few new visas are being issued, meaning many foreign sailors cannot leave their ships.
China stopped issuing new visas in March. In October, it eased restrictions to let shippers replace crews in Shanghai and nine other ports, but not Nantong.
Aboard the Horizon Spirit, Smith said he spends his days as a fire lookout while dozens of Chinese electricians, welders, painters and other workers overhaul the ship. The crew set up blowers to keep fumes out of living areas.
“There are lots of other ships here. As I do my rounds, I see crew members on other ships,” said Smith. “It looks like they are restricted also.”
Smith said he had visited China earlier but his latest 5-year, multiple-entry visa expired in April. The Chinese visa office in Los Angeles was closed, but he and other crew members had expected to still get permission to leave the ship in Nantong. Chinese health officials have tested them six times for the coronavirus and found none infected, he said, but there was no word on whether they might be allowed to apply for visas.
“Normally, when a ship goes into a shipyard, they send the whole crew ashore to stay in a hotel,” said Smith. “We’ve been here over 40 days.”
A few crew members have made makeshift Christmas decorations, but Friday will be a normal work day, Smith said.
“We really don’t have any plans,” he said.
Five sailors were allowed to go to a hotel because their visas still were valid, Smith said. The others are “confined to the vessel, cannot even leave the gangway,” he said. He said the ship is scheduled to return to Los Angeles next month after picking up cargo in Shanghai.
The Nantong port administration and visa bureau didn’t respond to questions about how many sailors might be affected and whether any had been granted visas after arriving.
On Dec. 1, the U.N. General Assembly called on governments in a resolution to designate ship crews as “essential workers” to ease their travel. It said merchant ships moved 11 billion tons of goods last year, which is “essential to the normal functioning of society.”
“Land is right there, and I can’t even go down the gangway,” said Smith. “Too bad.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-24--Kushner pardon revives 'loathsome' tale of tax evasion, sex

WEST PALM BEACH , Fla. ( AP ) - Former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie called it “ one of the most loathsome , disgusting crimes ” he ever prosecuted as U.S. attorney .
After Charles Kushner discovered his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities , the wealthy real estate executive and father of President Donald Trump ’ s son-in-law , Jared , hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation .
Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law , then arranged to have the encounter in a New Jersey motel room recorded with a hidden camera and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the man ’ s wife .
The scheme didn ’ t work .
Kushner later pleaded guilty to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations in a case tailor-made for tabloid headlines .
On Wednesday Trump pardoned Kushner as part of a late-hour clemency spree during the final days of his presidency that has included a slew of campaign aides and allies , among them four of the six Trump associates convicted in the Mueller investigation .
He has granted clemency to nearly 50 people in the last week .
The White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charitable work since he completed his sentence in 2006 as the reason he deserved clemency .
“ This record of reform and charity overshadows Mr. Kushner ’ s conviction and 2 year sentence for preparing false tax returns , witness retaliation , and making false statements ” to the Federal Election Commission , the White House said , adding that Kushner ’ s case had been championed by Matt Schlapp , chairman of the American Conservative Union , and others .
Not mentioned : Kushner ’ s relationship to Jared Kushner , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s eldest daughter , Ivanka , and who , inspired by his father ’ s time in prison , pushed Trump to back criminal justice reform legislation and has been an integral part of the administration ’ s clemency efforts .
Christie did not respond to a request for comment on Trump ’ s decision to pardon a man he ’ d sent to prison .
But Christie , who headed Trump ’ s transition and has informally advised the president for years , has made clear that he believes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Kushner pled guilty .
He admitted the crimes , ” Christie told PBS last year as he promoted a book that blamed the younger Kushner for his firing from Trump ’ s transition team .
“ And so what am I supposed to do as a prosecutor ?
I mean , if a guy hires a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law , and videotapes it , and then sends the videotape to his sister to attempt to intimidate her from testifying before a grand jury , do I really need any more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ I mean its one of the most loathsome , disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney .
And I was U.S. attorney in New Jersey.
” Kushner eventually pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering .
He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison - the most he could receive under a plea deal , but less than Christie had sought .
Kushner also agreed to pay $ 508,900 to the FEC for violating contribution regulations by failing to obtain an OK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 500,000 in contributions were credited .
He has since resumed his career in real estate , including purchasing the famed Watchtower complex along the Brooklyn Bridge , the former headquarters for the Jehovah ’ s Witnesses .
The younger Kushner has talked openly about how deeply his father ’ s imprisonment impacted his life .
He was in his early 20s and a law and business school student in the mid-2000s when his father was sentenced and suddenly found himself having to run the family ’ s businesses while shuttling back and forth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alabama .
“ When you ’ re on the other side of the system , you feel so helpless , ” Jared Kushner said in 2018 .
“ I felt like , I was on this side of the system , so how can I try to do whatever I can do to try to be helpful to the people who are going through it ” and deserve a second chance .
But Charles Kushner told The New York Times in 2018 that he wasn ’ t interested in clemency , saying he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pardon ” because it would garner publicity .

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called it “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes” he ever prosecuted as U.S. attorney.
After Charles Kushner discovered his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities, the wealthy real estate executive and father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared, hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation.
Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law, then arranged to have the encounter in a New Jersey motel room recorded with a hidden camera and the recording sent to his own sister, the man’s wife.
The scheme didn’t work. Kushner later pleaded guilty to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations in a case tailor-made for tabloid headlines.
On Wednesday Trump pardoned Kushner as part of a late-hour clemency spree during the final days of his presidency that has included a slew of campaign aides and allies, among them four of the six Trump associates convicted in the Mueller investigation. He has granted clemency to nearly 50 people in the last week.
The White House in its announcement cited Kushner’s charitable work since he completed his sentence in 2006 as the reason he deserved clemency.
“This record of reform and charity overshadows Mr. Kushner’s conviction and 2 year sentence for preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements” to the Federal Election Commission, the White House said, adding that Kushner’s case had been championed by Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, and others.
Not mentioned: Kushner’s relationship to Jared Kushner, the senior Trump adviser who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, and who, inspired by his father’s time in prison, pushed Trump to back criminal justice reform legislation and has been an integral part of the administration’s clemency efforts.
Christie did not respond to a request for comment on Trump’s decision to pardon a man he’d sent to prison. But Christie, who headed Trump’s transition and has informally advised the president for years, has made clear that he believes the senior Kushner deserved it.
“Mr. Kushner pled guilty. He admitted the crimes,” Christie told PBS last year as he promoted a book that blamed the younger Kushner for his firing from Trump’s transition team. “And so what am I supposed to do as a prosecutor? I mean, if a guy hires a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, and videotapes it, and then sends the videotape to his sister to attempt to intimidate her from testifying before a grand jury, do I really need any more justification than that?”
He added: “I mean its one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney. And I was U.S. attorney in New Jersey.”
Kushner eventually pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering. He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison - the most he could receive under a plea deal, but less than Christie had sought.
Kushner also agreed to pay $508,900 to the FEC for violating contribution regulations by failing to obtain an OK from partners to whom more than $500,000 in contributions were credited.
He has since resumed his career in real estate, including purchasing the famed Watchtower complex along the Brooklyn Bridge, the former headquarters for the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The younger Kushner has talked openly about how deeply his father’s imprisonment impacted his life. He was in his early 20s and a law and business school student in the mid-2000s when his father was sentenced and suddenly found himself having to run the family’s businesses while shuttling back and forth on weekends to see his father in Alabama.
“When you’re on the other side of the system, you feel so helpless,” Jared Kushner said in 2018. “I felt like, I was on this side of the system, so how can I try to do whatever I can do to try to be helpful to the people who are going through it” and deserve a second chance.
But Charles Kushner told The New York Times in 2018 that he wasn’t interested in clemency, saying he “would prefer not to have a pardon” because it would garner publicity.
___
Long reported from Washington.


washingtontimes--2020-12-24--AP PHOTOS: India's fabled farmers fear what new law may reap

FATEHPUR , India ( AP ) - Ram Singh Patel ’ s day starts at 6 in the morning , when he walks into his farmland tucked next to a railway line .
For hours he toils on the farm , where he grows chili peppers , onions , garlic , tomatoes and papayas .
Sometimes his wife , two sons and two daughters join him to lend a helping hand or have lunch with him .
Once home after sunset , he packs the cultivated crops in jute bags and cardboard boxes , ready to be driven by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the produce is sold .
This is the daily life of Patel , a 55-year-old generational farmer in India ’ s heartland state of Uttar Pradesh .
The life is laborious and repetitive , but it is one of an unknown hero who , like millions of other small farmers , grows grain to feed India ’ s ever-growing population of more than 1.3 billion .
But of late , Patel has been a worried man .
His earnings have started to fall .
His kids don ’ t want to work on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new agricultural laws introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’ s government will favor big corporations that will push down prices and make family-owned farms unviable , eventually leaving millions like him landless .
“ The farmers will survive this onslaught by any means , ” said Patel , who supports Modi but opposes the new laws .
“ But the future generations will have no food because there will be no one to grow the grain .
What will the prime minister eat then ?
” India ’ s fabled farmers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ providers , ” have long been seen as the heart and soul of a country where the agriculture industry supports more than half of the people .
But farmers have also seen their economic clout diminish over the last three decades .
Once accounting for a third of India ’ s gross domestic product , they now account for only 15 % of the country ’ s $ 2.9 trillion economy .
Compounding their worries are the new laws that have stoked widespread anger among the farmers .
Tens of thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital , for nearly a month and hunkered down with food and fuel supplies that can last weeks .
They have threatened to not leave until their demands to abolish the laws are met .
The government says the new laws provide much-needed reform for the agricultural sector .
It has tried to placate the angry farmers , but several rounds of talks to try to get them to end the protests have failed .
Many of the protesting farmers are from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana , two of India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rumbles have now started to grow in other states too .
“ Modi ’ s government is for the rich , ” Patel said .
“ His government is forcing these laws on us when we didn ’ t even ask for them.
” The laws have exacerbated existing resentment from farmers , who often complain of being ignored by the government .
“ The common public is against these laws , ” Patel said .
“ I don ’ t understand why the prime minister is not listening to them .
@

FATEHPUR, India (AP) - Ram Singh Patel’s day starts at 6 in the morning, when he walks into his farmland tucked next to a railway line. For hours he toils on the farm, where he grows chili peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes and papayas. Sometimes his wife, two sons and two daughters join him to lend a helping hand or have lunch with him.
Once home after sunset, he packs the cultivated crops in jute bags and cardboard boxes, ready to be driven by a trailer to a nearby wholesale market where the produce is sold.
This is the daily life of Patel, a 55-year-old generational farmer in India’s heartland state of Uttar Pradesh. The life is laborious and repetitive, but it is one of an unknown hero who, like millions of other small farmers, grows grain to feed India’s ever-growing population of more than 1.3 billion.
But of late, Patel has been a worried man. His earnings have started to fall. His kids don’t want to work on the farm. And he fears that new agricultural laws introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will favor big corporations that will push down prices and make family-owned farms unviable, eventually leaving millions like him landless.
“The farmers will survive this onslaught by any means,” said Patel, who supports Modi but opposes the new laws. “But the future generations will have no food because there will be no one to grow the grain. What will the prime minister eat then?”
India’s fabled farmers, often called “annadatta,” or “providers,” have long been seen as the heart and soul of a country where the agriculture industry supports more than half of the people. But farmers have also seen their economic clout diminish over the last three decades. Once accounting for a third of India’s gross domestic product, they now account for only 15% of the country’s $2.9 trillion economy.
Compounding their worries are the new laws that have stoked widespread anger among the farmers. Tens of thousands of them have besieged New Delhi, the capital, for nearly a month and hunkered down with food and fuel supplies that can last weeks. They have threatened to not leave until their demands to abolish the laws are met.
The government says the new laws provide much-needed reform for the agricultural sector. It has tried to placate the angry farmers, but several rounds of talks to try to get them to end the protests have failed.
Many of the protesting farmers are from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, two of India’s largest agricultural states. But the rumbles have now started to grow in other states too.
“Modi’s government is for the rich,” Patel said. “His government is forcing these laws on us when we didn’t even ask for them.”
The laws have exacerbated existing resentment from farmers, who often complain of being ignored by the government.
“The common public is against these laws,” Patel said. “I don’t understand why the prime minister is not listening to them.”