france24--2020-07-18--John Lewis, US Congressman and key leader of civil rights movement, dies at 80

US Representative John Lewis ( D-GA ) speaks at the dedication of the Smithsonian ’ s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington , D.C. on September 24 , 2016 .
John Lewis , a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation , and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress , died .
He was 80 .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed Lewis ’ s passing late Friday night , calling him “ one of the greatest heroes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us were humbled to call Congressman Lewis a colleague , and are heartbroken by his passing , ” Pelosi said .
“ May his memory be an inspiration that moves us all to , in the face of injustice , make ‘ good trouble , necessary trouble.
’ ” The condolences for Lewis were bipartisan .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Lewis was “ a pioneering civil rights leader who put his life on the line to fight racism , promote equal rights , and bring our nation into greater alignment with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announcement in late December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer — “ I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now , ” he said — inspired tributes from both sides of the aisle , and an unstated accord that the likely passing of this Atlanta Democrat would represent the end of an era .
Lewis was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists , a group led by the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. that had the greatest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best known for leading some 600 protesters in the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma .
At age 25 — walking at the head of the march with his hands tucked in the pockets of his tan overcoat — Lewis was knocked to the ground and beaten by police .
His skull was fractured , and nationally televised images of the brutality forced the country ’ s attention on racial oppression in the South .
Within days , King led more marches in the state , and President Lyndon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Voting Rights Act .
The bill became law later that year , removing barriers that had barred Blacks from voting .
“ John is an American hero who helped lead a movement and risked his life for our most fundamental rights ; he bears scars that attest to his indefatigable spirit and persistence , ” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said after Lewis announced his cancer diagnosis .
Lewis joined King and four other civil rights leaders in organizing the 1963 March on Washington .
He spoke to the vast crowd just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Have a Dream ” speech .
A 23-year-old firebrand , Lewis toned down his intended remarks at the insistence of others , dropping a reference to a “ scorched earth ” march through the South and scaling back criticisms of President John Kennedy .
It was a potent speech nonetheless , in which he vowed : “ By the forces of our demands , our determination and our numbers , we shall splinter the segregated South into a thousand pieces and put them together in an image of God and democracy.
” It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overshadowed by the words of King , the man who had inspired him to activism .
Lewis was born on Feb. 21 , 1940 , outside the town of Troy , in Pike County , Alabama .
He grew up on his family ’ s farm and attended segregated public schools .
As a boy , he wanted to be a minister , and practiced his oratory on the family chickens .
Denied a library card because of the color of his skin , he became an avid reader , and could cite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his later years .
He was a teenager when he first heard King preaching on the radio .
They met when Lewis was seeking support to become the first Black student at Alabama ’ s segregated Troy State University .
He ultimately attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University in Nashville , Tennessee .
He began organizing sit-in demonstrations at whites-only lunch counters and volunteering as a Freedom Rider , enduring beatings and arrests while traveling around the South to challenge segregation .
Lewis helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , making him one of the Big Six at a tender age .
The others , in addition to King , were Whitney Young of the National Urban League ; A. Philip Randolph of the Negro American Labor Council ; James L. Farmer Jr. , of the Congress of Racial Equality ; and Roy Wilkins of the NAACP .
All six met at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York to plan and announce the March on Washington .
The huge demonstration galvanized the movement , but success didn ’ t come quickly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lewis and the Rev .
Hosea Williams led demonstrators on a planned march of more than 50 miles from Selma to Montgomery , Alabama ’ s capital , on March 7 , 1965 .
A phalanx of police blocked their exit from the Selma bridge .
Authorities shoved , then swung their truncheons , fired tear gas and charged on horseback , sending many to the hospital and horrifying much of the nation .
King returned with thousands , completing the march to Montgomery before the end of the month .
Lewis turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was elected to the Atlanta City Council .
He won his seat in Congress in 1986 and spent much of his career in the minority .
After Democrats won control of the House in 2006 , Lewis became his party ’ s senior deputy whip , a behind-the-scenes leadership post in which he helped keep the party unified .
In an early setback for Barack Obama ’ s 2008 Democratic primary campaign , Lewis endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for the nomination .
Lewis switched when it became clear Obama had overwhelming Black support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Presidential Medal of Freedom , and they marched hand in hand in Selma on the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attack .
In a statement following his death , President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Lewis as a “ giant ” who became “ the conscience of the nation.
” Lewis also worked for 15 years to gain approval for the Smithsonian ’ s National Museum of African American History and Culture .
Humble and unfailingly friendly , Lewis was revered on Capitol Hill — but as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress , he often lost policy battles , from his effort to stop the Iraq War to his defense of young immigrants .
He met bipartisan success in Congress in 2006 when he led efforts to renew the Voting Rights Act , but the Supreme Court later invalidated much of the law , and it became once again what it was in his youth , a work in progress .
Later , when the presidency of Donald Trump challenged his civil rights legacy , Lewis made no effort to hide his pain .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ inauguration , saying he didn ’ t consider him a “ legitimate president ” because Russians had conspired to get him elected .
When Trump later complained about immigrants from “ s -- -hole countries , ” Lewis declared , “ I think he is a racist ... we have to try to stand up and speak up and not try to sweep it under the rug.
” Lewis said he ’ d been arrested 40 times in the 1960s , five more as a congressman .
At 78 , he told a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help reunite immigrant families separated by the Trump administration .
“ There can not be any peace in America until these young children are returned to their parents and set all of our people free , ” Lewis said in June , recalling the “ good trouble ” he got into protesting segregation as a young man .
“ If we fail to do it , history will not be kind to us , ” he shouted .
“ I will go to the border .
I ’ ll get arrested again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepared to go to jail.
” In a speech the day of the House impeachment vote of Trump , Lewis explained the importance of that vote .
“ When you see something that is not right , not just , not fair , you have a moral obligation to say something , to do something .
Our children and their children will ask us ‘ what did you do ?
what did you say ?
’ ” While the vote would be hard for some , he said : “ We have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right side of history.
” Lewis ’ wife of four decades , Lillian Miles , died in 2012 .
They had one son , John Miles Lewis .

John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, died. He was 80.
US Representative John Lewis (D-GA) speaks at the dedication of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. on September 24, 2016.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed Lewis’s passing late Friday night, calling him “one of the greatest heroes of American history.”
“All of us were humbled to call Congressman Lewis a colleague, and are heartbroken by his passing,” Pelosi said. “May his memory be an inspiration that moves us all to, in the face of injustice, make ‘good trouble, necessary trouble.’”
The condolences for Lewis were bipartisan. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Lewis was “a pioneering civil rights leader who put his life on the line to fight racism, promote equal rights, and bring our nation into greater alignment with its founding principles.”
My statement on the passing of Congressman John Lewis: pic.twitter.com/sFuU8cqPc8 — Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) July 18, 2020
Lewis’s announcement in late December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer — “I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now,” he said — inspired tributes from both sides of the aisle, and an unstated accord that the likely passing of this Atlanta Democrat would represent the end of an era.
Lewis was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists, a group led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that had the greatest impact on the movement. He was best known for leading some 600 protesters in the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.
At age 25 — walking at the head of the march with his hands tucked in the pockets of his tan overcoat — Lewis was knocked to the ground and beaten by police. His skull was fractured, and nationally televised images of the brutality forced the country’s attention on racial oppression in the South.
Within days, King led more marches in the state, and President Lyndon Johnson soon was pressing Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. The bill became law later that year, removing barriers that had barred Blacks from voting.
“John is an American hero who helped lead a movement and risked his life for our most fundamental rights; he bears scars that attest to his indefatigable spirit and persistence,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said after Lewis announced his cancer diagnosis.
Lewis joined King and four other civil rights leaders in organizing the 1963 March on Washington. He spoke to the vast crowd just before King delivered his epochal “I Have a Dream” speech.
A 23-year-old firebrand, Lewis toned down his intended remarks at the insistence of others, dropping a reference to a “scorched earth” march through the South and scaling back criticisms of President John Kennedy. It was a potent speech nonetheless, in which he vowed: “By the forces of our demands, our determination and our numbers, we shall splinter the segregated South into a thousand pieces and put them together in an image of God and democracy.”
It was almost immediately, and forever, overshadowed by the words of King, the man who had inspired him to activism.
Organized sit-ins, volunteered as Freedom Rider
Lewis was born on Feb. 21, 1940, outside the town of Troy, in Pike County, Alabama. He grew up on his family’s farm and attended segregated public schools.
As a boy, he wanted to be a minister, and practiced his oratory on the family chickens. Denied a library card because of the color of his skin, he became an avid reader, and could cite obscure historical dates and details even in his later years. He was a teenager when he first heard King preaching on the radio. They met when Lewis was seeking support to become the first Black student at Alabama’s segregated Troy State University.
He ultimately attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He began organizing sit-in demonstrations at whites-only lunch counters and volunteering as a Freedom Rider, enduring beatings and arrests while traveling around the South to challenge segregation.
Lewis helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was named its chairman in 1963, making him one of the Big Six at a tender age. The others, in addition to King, were Whitney Young of the National Urban League; A. Philip Randolph of the Negro American Labor Council; James L. Farmer Jr., of the Congress of Racial Equality; and Roy Wilkins of the NAACP. All six met at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York to plan and announce the March on Washington.
The huge demonstration galvanized the movement, but success didn’t come quickly. After extensive training in nonviolent protest, Lewis and the Rev. Hosea Williams led demonstrators on a planned march of more than 50 miles from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama’s capital, on March 7, 1965. A phalanx of police blocked their exit from the Selma bridge.
Authorities shoved, then swung their truncheons, fired tear gas and charged on horseback, sending many to the hospital and horrifying much of the nation. King returned with thousands, completing the march to Montgomery before the end of the month.
Elected to Congress in 1986
Lewis turned to politics in 1981, when he was elected to the Atlanta City Council.
He won his seat in Congress in 1986 and spent much of his career in the minority. After Democrats won control of the House in 2006, Lewis became his party’s senior deputy whip, a behind-the-scenes leadership post in which he helped keep the party unified.
In an early setback for Barack Obama’s 2008 Democratic primary campaign, Lewis endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for the nomination. Lewis switched when it became clear Obama had overwhelming Black support. Obama later honored Lewis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and they marched hand in hand in Selma on the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attack.
Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did:https://t.co/KbVfYt5CeQ — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 18, 2020
In a statement following his death, President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Lewis as a “giant” who became “the conscience of the nation.”
Lewis also worked for 15 years to gain approval for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Humble and unfailingly friendly, Lewis was revered on Capitol Hill — but as one of the most liberal members of Congress, he often lost policy battles, from his effort to stop the Iraq War to his defense of young immigrants.
He met bipartisan success in Congress in 2006 when he led efforts to renew the Voting Rights Act, but the Supreme Court later invalidated much of the law, and it became once again what it was in his youth, a work in progress. Later, when the presidency of Donald Trump challenged his civil rights legacy, Lewis made no effort to hide his pain.
Lewis refused to attend Trump’s inauguration, saying he didn’t consider him a “legitimate president” because Russians had conspired to get him elected. When Trump later complained about immigrants from “s---hole countries,” Lewis declared, “I think he is a racist ... we have to try to stand up and speak up and not try to sweep it under the rug.”
Lewis said he’d been arrested 40 times in the 1960s, five more as a congressman. At 78, he told a rally he’d do it again to help reunite immigrant families separated by the Trump administration.
“There cannot be any peace in America until these young children are returned to their parents and set all of our people free,” Lewis said in June, recalling the “good trouble” he got into protesting segregation as a young man.
“If we fail to do it, history will not be kind to us,” he shouted. “I will go to the border. I’ll get arrested again. If necessary, I’m prepared to go to jail.”
A lifetime of struggle for civil rights. A lifetime of getting into “good trouble”, of fighting for a world that is more just. A true hero. Indeed, “because of you, John”. pic.twitter.com/3u7qeqtCI0 — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 18, 2020
In a speech the day of the House impeachment vote of Trump, Lewis explained the importance of that vote.
“When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something. Our children and their children will ask us ‘what did you do? what did you say?’” While the vote would be hard for some, he said: “We have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.”
Lewis’ wife of four decades, Lillian Miles, died in 2012. They had one son, John Miles Lewis.
(AP)
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france24--2020-07-18--Iran estimates it has 25 million coronavirus infections

President Hassan Rouhani speaking during a cabinet session in the capital Tehran on July 8 , 2020 .
President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday that 35 million Iranians may contract the coronavirus , as the country still did not have herd immunity although a quarter of the population may be infected .
It appears to be the first time a senior Iranian official has indicated the country is seeking to defeat COVID-19 via herd immunity .
The virus has killed more than 588,000 people and infected nearly 14 million around the world since first being detected in China late last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 , with figures showing a rise in both new infections and deaths since a two-month low in May .
On Saturday , the health ministry reported another 188 coronavirus deaths and 2,166 cases of infection in the past 24 hours .
That took the overall toll to 13,979 dead out of 271,606 cases since Iran reported its first cases in mid-February .
The rising toll has prompted authorities to reimpose restrictions in worst-hit provinces after being lifted country-wide in April , with Tehran extending them for an extra week on Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to now , 25 million Iranians have been infected with this virus , '' Rouhani said during a televised meeting of the country 's virus-fighting taskforce .
`` We have to consider the possibility that 30 to 35 million more may face infection , '' he added , citing the results of a study by the health ministry .
`` We have not yet achieved herd immunity and we have no choice but to be united and break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus . ''
Rouhani 's deputy head of communications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours later that the 25 million in fact refers to `` those who have encountered the virus and achieved complete immunity '' .
Rouhani also said that Iran may have to prepare itself for double the amount of hospitalisations it has had in the past five months , according to the study .
The health ministry does not report the overall amount of hospitalisations over COVID-19 .
The Islamic republic has been struggling to contain the Middle East 's worst COVID-19 outbreak since announcing its first cases in mid-February .
Iran has refrained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cancelled public gatherings and banned travel between provinces in March , before lifting the restrictions the next month to reopen its sanctions-hit economy .

Iran’s president on Saturday estimated as many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected with the coronavirus since the outbreak's beginning, as he urged the public to take the pandemic seriously, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
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Hassan Rouhani cited a new Iranian Health Ministry study in offering the unprecedentedly high numbers.
Rouhani also said about 30 to 35 million will be infected to the virus in the coming months.
“We have to estimate that 30 to 35 million people will be exposed to the virus, which is very important,” Rouhani added.
Iran's population is around 81 million people.
Iranians officials have not explained on what the report's estimates are based. The study has so far not been made publicly available.
Referring to the report, Rouhani said it also predicts that the number of hospitalizations will soon be "twice as many as we have seen in the last 150 days.”
In recent weeks, Iran has seen daily death tolls spike to their highest-ever levels, sparking increasing fear even as government officials say they can’t lock the country back down for fear of cratering its sanctions-hit economy.
Iran has seen the worst outbreak in the Middle East, with more than 270,000 confirmed cases and at least 13,979 deaths. That includes 2,166 new cases and 188 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.
Authorities in the capital of Tehran are imposing new restrictions from Saturday, amid the severe increase in cases in recent weeks, closing some public spaces like coffee shops, zoos, and indoor swimming pools.
Rouhani’s most recent remarks show that questions remain over the country's official figures from the outbreak, even after officials have publicly acknowledged its importance.
Before Iran reported its first cases of the virus in February, authorities denied it had reached the country for days, allowing the virus time to spread as the nation marked the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution with mass demonstrations and then held a parliamentary election in which authorities desperately sought to boost turnout.
A parliamentary report in April said Iran’s death toll is likely nearly double the officially reported figures. Given insufficient testing, the report said the number of people infected at the time was probably “eight to 10 times” higher than the reported figures.
Even today, Iranian death tolls remain based on those who died in coronavirus wards in hospitals. However, it’s believed that many more died at home, and some families have reportedly asked doctors not to mention their loved ones died of the virus to avoid the stigma associated with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
(AP)
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france24--2020-07-18--‘We've got nothing’: Millions in Lebanon struggle with cost of living amid economic collapse

Women , men and children wait for aid at a food and medicine distribution point in Beirut , Lebanon .
Inflation has skyrocketed in Lebanon , leaving swathes of the population unable to meet the cost of daily life .
FRANCE 24 reports from Beirut .
In Beirut , desperation is in the air .
Every day , people pack into a charity food and medicine distribution point .
Many here never imagined they ’ d be relying on handouts to survive , including Haifa , whose son is a teacher .
“ This is the first time I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FRANCE 24 .
Our lives have been turned upside down .
We had a good lifestyle , but that ’ s all finished now .
All of a sudden we ’ ve become so poor , we ’ ve got nothing.
” Abdelkarim Chmissani , the head of social services for the Banin Charity Association , says that demand has doubled and tripled , the result of civil unrest and compounding crises .
“ We ’ ve had so many problems in Lebanon , ” he said .
“ There were the protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and now the economic crisis and the collapse of the Lebanese currency against the dollar.
” Click on the player above to watch the full FRANCE 24 report .

ON THE GROUND
Inflation has skyrocketed in Lebanon, leaving swathes of the population unable to meet the cost of daily life. FRANCE 24 reports from Beirut.
Women, men and children wait for aid at a food and medicine distribution point in Beirut, Lebanon.
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In Beirut, desperation is in the air. Every day, people pack into a charity food and medicine distribution point. Many here never imagined they’d be relying on handouts to survive, including Haifa, whose son is a teacher.
“This is the first time I’ve come here,” she told FRANCE 24. Our lives have been turned upside down. We had a good lifestyle, but that’s all finished now. All of a sudden we’ve become so poor, we’ve got nothing.”
Abdelkarim Chmissani, the head of social services for the Banin Charity Association, says that demand has doubled and tripled, the result of civil unrest and compounding crises. “We’ve had so many problems in Lebanon,” he said. “There were the protests against corruption last October, coronavirus, and now the economic crisis and the collapse of the Lebanese currency against the dollar.”
Click on the player above to watch the full FRANCE 24 report.
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france24--2020-07-17--EU leaders to continue tortuous talks on controversial Covid-19 rescue plan

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen , French President Emmanuel Macron , Germany 's Chancellor Angela Merkel talk prior to their European Union Council in Brussels on July 17 , 2020 .
European leaders are to meet on Saturday for the second of two days of tortuous negotiations to thrash out the terms of a huge post-coronavirus economic rescue plan .
Europe is in the depths of its deepest recession since World War II and the 27 leaders are seeking common ground on the terms of a 750-billion-euro stimulus package that would help lift those hardest hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resistance from a group of richer and smaller nations led by the Netherlands and Austria that are loath to hand out cash to countries such as Spain or Italy they see as too lax with public spending .
Germany 's Chancellor Angela Merkel turned 66 on Friday and as she and her colleagues began this first in-person summit since February , they gave her gifts and exchanged elbow bumps instead of handshakes .
But the high spirits quickly turned sombre once the talks began , with leaders taking their places in an EU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imposed .
`` The differences are still very , very large and I can not therefore predict whether we will be able to reach an agreement this time , '' Merkel said as she arrived .
`` It would be desirable , but we also have to face reality , '' she said .
`` That is why I expect very , very difficult negotiations . ''
France 's President Emmanuel Macron described it as a `` moment of truth '' before beginning the first session of talks that diplomats described as cordial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backing a recovery package made up of a mixture of loans and subsidies to member states to revive economies shattered by the virus and preventive lockdowns .
`` It 's our European project which is in play here , '' Macron warned , before meeting the Netherlands ' Prime Minister Mark Rutte -- who is holding out against doling out cash without tough conditions and an effective power of veto over national rescue plans .
`` Solidarity , yes '' Rutte said of countries that do n't have the budget to stoke a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same time , you can also ask those countries to do everything possible to solve this yourselves the next time .
And you do this through reforms , in the labour market , in pensions etc . ''
After around eight hours of talks the leaders broke up to meet in smaller groups , planning to reconvene for a working dinner at 8:00pm ( 1800 GMT ) .
The summit is set to run into Saturday and perhaps even Sunday , but few here are confident of a breakthrough , despite the tight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follow later this month .
One diplomat said they expected Friday to conclude with summit host Charles Michel , the president of the European Council , presenting a fresh proposal , which the leaders would consider overnight before starting again on Saturday .
Michel has tried to create a sense of momentum after previous coronavirus-era videoconferences served only to underline the leaders ' differences .
But Rutte put the chance of success this weekend at less than 50 percent .
Michel 's current draft plan foresees a recovery package , made up of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion in grants and subsidies that would not have to be repaid by the recipient member states .
The Netherlands has emerged as the most likely hold out , but Rutte 's position is backed to varying degrees by fellow members of the so-called `` Frugal Four '' -- Sweden , Denmark and Austria .
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said he and his allies would reject anything leading to a `` permanent 'Transfer Union ' , '' an allusion to a centralised state comparable to the United States .
The frugals want any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions attached to ensure that heavily-indebted countries carry out labour market reform .
This is furiously opposed by the south .
`` If the money is not used to invest in the future , if it does not go hand in hand with necessary reforms in states that are simply broken in their systems ... then all this will fizzle out , '' Kurz warned .
Both Michel and Merkel , whose country has just taken on the rolling six-month presidency of the EU , will struggle to broker any compromise -- one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` defrugalise '' the debate .
This package is in addition to the planned 1,074-billion-euro seven-year EU budget from 2021 to 2027 that the leaders must also agree in the coming weeks or months .

European leaders are to meet on Saturday for the second of two days of tortuous negotiations to thrash out the terms of a huge post-coronavirus economic rescue plan.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel talk prior to their European Union Council in Brussels on July 17, 2020.
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Europe is in the depths of its deepest recession since World War II and the 27 leaders are seeking common ground on the terms of a 750-billion-euro stimulus package that would help lift those hardest hit by the pandemic.
There is stern resistance from a group of richer and smaller nations led by the Netherlands and Austria that are loath to hand out cash to countries such as Spain or Italy they see as too lax with public spending.
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel turned 66 on Friday and as she and her colleagues began this first in-person summit since February, they gave her gifts and exchanged elbow bumps instead of handshakes.
But the high spirits quickly turned sombre once the talks began, with leaders taking their places in an EU headquarters with reduced staff and social distancing imposed.
"The differences are still very, very large and I cannot therefore predict whether we will be able to reach an agreement this time," Merkel said as she arrived.
"It would be desirable, but we also have to face reality," she said. "That is why I expect very, very difficult negotiations."
France's President Emmanuel Macron described it as a "moment of truth" before beginning the first session of talks that diplomats described as cordial but slow.
Merkel and Macron are backing a recovery package made up of a mixture of loans and subsidies to member states to revive economies shattered by the virus and preventive lockdowns.
"It's our European project which is in play here," Macron warned, before meeting the Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte -- who is holding out against doling out cash without tough conditions and an effective power of veto over national rescue plans.
Difficult days
"Solidarity, yes" Rutte said of countries that don't have the budget to stoke a meaningful recovery.
"But at the same time, you can also ask those countries to do everything possible to solve this yourselves the next time. And you do this through reforms, in the labour market, in pensions etc."
After around eight hours of talks the leaders broke up to meet in smaller groups, planning to reconvene for a working dinner at 8:00pm (1800 GMT).
The summit is set to run into Saturday and perhaps even Sunday, but few here are confident of a breakthrough, despite the tight timetable, so another summit may well follow later this month.
One diplomat said they expected Friday to conclude with summit host Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, presenting a fresh proposal, which the leaders would consider overnight before starting again on Saturday.
Michel has tried to create a sense of momentum after previous coronavirus-era videoconferences served only to underline the leaders' differences.
But Rutte put the chance of success this weekend at less than 50 percent.
Loans or grants?
Michel's current draft plan foresees a recovery package, made up of 250 billion euros in loans and 500 billion in grants and subsidies that would not have to be repaid by the recipient member states.
The Netherlands has emerged as the most likely hold out, but Rutte's position is backed to varying degrees by fellow members of the so-called "Frugal Four" -- Sweden, Denmark and Austria.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said he and his allies would reject anything leading to a "permanent 'Transfer Union'," an allusion to a centralised state comparable to the United States.
The frugals want any loans or grants to come with strict conditions attached to ensure that heavily-indebted countries carry out labour market reform. This is furiously opposed by the south.
"If the money is not used to invest in the future, if it does not go hand in hand with necessary reforms in states that are simply broken in their systems... then all this will fizzle out," Kurz warned.
Both Michel and Merkel, whose country has just taken on the rolling six-month presidency of the EU, will struggle to broker any compromise -- one diplomat quipped that they were trying to "defrugalise" the debate.
This package is in addition to the planned 1,074-billion-euro seven-year EU budget from 2021 to 2027 that the leaders must also agree in the coming weeks or months.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-18--‘He’s a genius’: Peers praise Bielsa after ‘El Loco’ guides football’s Leeds back to English Premier

‘He’s a genius’: Peers praise Bielsa after ‘El Loco’ guides football’s Leeds back to English Premier League

For a man nicknamed 'El Loco ' ( mad man ) and with little silverware in his long managerial career , Marcelo Bielsa is an unlikely hero to a younger generation of coaches including Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino .
However , hordes of Leeds fans will now treat him with similar reverence after he guided one of English football 's sleeping giants back to the Premier League after a 16-year wait .
The Leeds bust that followed a boom time of big spending and a Champions League semi-final at the turn of the century lasted far longer than many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the English top-flight in May 2004 .
A further relegation and three years in the third tier followed before a decade stuck in the mud of the gruelling 46-game a season Championship .
There was plenty of heartbreak along the way but perhaps none more so than in Bielsa 's eventful first season at Elland Road .
After being caught sending a spy to Derby 's training ground last year , Bielsa revealed the exhaustive scouting he does of every opponent he has ever faced amid accusations of underhand tactics .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've ever seen in my life , '' said Guardiola , who went to visit Bielsa in Argentina before setting out as a coach at Barcelona .
A FIFA fair play award also came El Loco 's way last season for allowing Aston Villa to equalise after Leeds had scored with a Villa player down injured .
However , that was the only trophy Leeds won as , in keeping with Bielsa 's sides of the past , they faltered down the home straight , with many pointing to the physical demands he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his name winning three league titles in Argentina with Newell 's Old Boys and Velez Sarsfield , where the season was divided into two leagues of 19 games .
`` If they had been 38-game seasons I do n't know if the players physically and mentally could stand another 19 games , '' Ricardo Lunari , another former Bielsa player to later become a coach , told Sky Sports .
Bielsa 's sides in Bilbao with Athletic Club , where he reached the Europa League and Copa del Rey finals in 2011/12 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 at the halfway stage in 2014/15 , were also admired but ended up empty-handed as their energy ran out .
Last season , Derby and their manager Frank Lampard had the last laugh , beating Leeds 4-3 on aggregate in the play-off semi-finals , prolonging their agonising wait to return to the Premier League .
Many expected Bielsa to walk .
But in his second season he has managed to leave a legacy similar to that he left at Newell 's -- where the club 's stadium now bears his name -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whom he led to a first World Cup in 12 years .
Coronavirus may have delayed Leeds ' title party , but it may also have played its part in getting them over the line .
The three-month break meant there was no burnout down the stretch this time as Leeds have lost just one of their seven matches since the restart .
'Still loved in Bilbao ... an icon in Chile' Born into a bourgeois family in Argentina , there are few airs and graces with Bielsa -- despite a reported £3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He lives in a one-bedroom flat in the market town of Wetherby so he can walk to the club 's Thorpe Arch training base and is regularly photographed with locals in coffee shops and supermarkets .
`` For me , he 's a person I will always admire , '' said former Tottenham boss Pochettino , whom Bielsa recruited for Newell 's as a 13-year-old .
`` He 's a genius .
A person with charisma and a personality very different from us normal coaches , and that 's what makes him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance to go head-to-head with the man he calls `` the best coach in the world '' next season despite the Manchester City boss being the one with a stunning array of titles to his name .
`` To be loved is the biggest title , bigger than the Champions League or Premier League or whatever .
To be loved is the most important thing and I think Marcelo has that more than any other manager in the world , '' said Guardiola .
`` I know how he is still loved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ icon in Chile . ''
Now Bielsa is also a legend in Leeds .

For a man nicknamed 'El Loco' (mad man) and with little silverware in his long managerial career, Marcelo Bielsa is an unlikely hero to a younger generation of coaches including Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino.
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However, hordes of Leeds fans will now treat him with similar reverence after he guided one of English football's sleeping giants back to the Premier League after a 16-year wait.
The Leeds bust that followed a boom time of big spending and a Champions League semi-final at the turn of the century lasted far longer than many people anticipated.
Leeds last played in the English top-flight in May 2004. A further relegation and three years in the third tier followed before a decade stuck in the mud of the gruelling 46-game a season Championship.
There was plenty of heartbreak along the way but perhaps none more so than in Bielsa's eventful first season at Elland Road.
After being caught sending a spy to Derby's training ground last year, Bielsa revealed the exhaustive scouting he does of every opponent he has ever faced amid accusations of underhand tactics.
"I think he is the best-prepared manager I've ever seen in my life," said Guardiola, who went to visit Bielsa in Argentina before setting out as a coach at Barcelona.
Demanding coach
A FIFA fair play award also came El Loco's way last season for allowing Aston Villa to equalise after Leeds had scored with a Villa player down injured.
However, that was the only trophy Leeds won as, in keeping with Bielsa's sides of the past, they faltered down the home straight, with many pointing to the physical demands he puts on his players.
Bielsa made his name winning three league titles in Argentina with Newell's Old Boys and Velez Sarsfield, where the season was divided into two leagues of 19 games.
"If they had been 38-game seasons I don't know if the players physically and mentally could stand another 19 games," Ricardo Lunari, another former Bielsa player to later become a coach, told Sky Sports.
Bielsa's sides in Bilbao with Athletic Club, where he reached the Europa League and Copa del Rey finals in 2011/12, and Marseille, where he led Ligue 1 at the halfway stage in 2014/15, were also admired but ended up empty-handed as their energy ran out.
Last season, Derby and their manager Frank Lampard had the last laugh, beating Leeds 4-3 on aggregate in the play-off semi-finals, prolonging their agonising wait to return to the Premier League.
Many expected Bielsa to walk. But in his second season he has managed to leave a legacy similar to that he left at Newell's -- where the club's stadium now bears his name -- and with the Chilean national team, whom he led to a first World Cup in 12 years.
Coronavirus may have delayed Leeds' title party, but it may also have played its part in getting them over the line.
The three-month break meant there was no burnout down the stretch this time as Leeds have lost just one of their seven matches since the restart.
'Still loved in Bilbao ... an icon in Chile'
Born into a bourgeois family in Argentina, there are few airs and graces with Bielsa -- despite a reported £3 million-a-year salary ($3.75 million). He lives in a one-bedroom flat in the market town of Wetherby so he can walk to the club's Thorpe Arch training base and is regularly photographed with locals in coffee shops and supermarkets.
"For me, he's a person I will always admire," said former Tottenham boss Pochettino, whom Bielsa recruited for Newell's as a 13-year-old. "He's a genius. A person with charisma and a personality very different from us normal coaches, and that's what makes him special."
Guardiola will get the chance to go head-to-head with the man he calls "the best coach in the world" next season despite the Manchester City boss being the one with a stunning array of titles to his name.
"To be loved is the biggest title, bigger than the Champions League or Premier League or whatever. To be loved is the most important thing and I think Marcelo has that more than any other manager in the world," said Guardiola.
"I know how he is still loved in Bilbao, I know he's an icon in Chile."
Now Bielsa is also a legend in Leeds.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-18--French protests give rise to new ‘Adama’ generation of anti-racism activists

People take part in a march on July 18 , 2020 in the Parisian suburb of Beaumont-sur-Oise to commemorate Adama Traoré , a black man who died in police custody four years ago , and to protest against police violence .
Protesters marked the four-year anniversary of the death of Adama Traoré in police custody on Saturday as a new ‘ Adama ’ generation of activists crossing traditional class and racial lines continue to grow the movement to stamp out racial injustice in France .
The demonstration took place in the Paris suburb of Beaumont-sur-Oise on Saturday 18 July to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his 24th birthday in July 2016 after an arrest in circumstances that still remain unclear .
Climate activists also joined armed with placards that read : “ We want to breathe.
” Traoré ’ s death has become symbolic of a wider cause to expose police brutality , racial injustice and economic inequities many say disproportionately affect the country ’ s black and Arab minorities .
Assa Traoré , who started the ‘ Truth for Adama ’ campaign group after her brother ’ s death , called Saturday for police to be charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took the weight of gendarmes '' for several minutes .
`` Why did those investigations happen four years later ?
” Assa Traoré asked reporters .
“ These investigations are because the people put pressure.
” On Friday it was announced that Adama 's case would be reopened with investigating judges wanting to probe the young man 's past , as well as that of the gendarmes who arrested him and their possible links .
Lawyers for the officers have denied police were at fault .
No one has been charged .
Ms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s own Black Lives Matter movement organising Saturday ’ s protest and many others held in recent weeks , which were triggered after worldwide anger over the killing in the US of black man George Floyd at the hands of police .
She said that the movement has reached a tipping point here in France where it is attracting a more diverse generation who are black , white , rich and poor , and who refuse to be silenced .
“ We became soldiers in spite of ourselves , ” she told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement today .
We call it the Adama generation , these people who are not afraid anymore , and these are youth who will not shut up.
” Despite the French government having promised zero tolerance for racism among police , rights groups say accusations of brutality and racism remain largely unaddressed .
Sociologist Sebastian Roché , who 's written a book about police in democracy , told newspaper 20 Minutes that police in France , like the US , target minorities : “ We see this during identity controls , the so-called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in terms of violence , Roché said , there is no comparison .
“ American police kill more than a thousand people a year , out of a population of 320 million inhabitants , '' he says .
`` The police in France kill 15 to 20 people in a population of 70 million . ''
Racial minorities have long contested the idea that equality is a right afforded to all .
In 2005 , riots broke out in the Paris suburbs , triggered by police treatment of mainly North African immigrants by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s top official for defending citizens ’ rights , Jacques Toubon , reported that black and Arab French people were 20 times more likely to be stopped by police than others were .
Toubon followed up with a study in 2020 exposing systemic racism in the Paris police .
Ms Traoré says she wants to recognise not only the victims of discrimination at the hands of police in France but to highlight the ‘ systemic ’ racism rooted in France ’ s colonial past .
France she said had failed to come to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slavery .
“ These are unsaid things that leave traces , and we suffer the consequences , ” she told the New York Times .
Former French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe acknowledged that the global outpouring of emotion after Floyd ’ s death `` resonated with the fears and feelings of a part of the French population '' .
Alluding to France ’ s colonial past he added that “ collectively we have not always necessarily been up to the challenge of the Republic 's principles '' .
Demonstrators have since demanded the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former colonies in Africa .
However , President Emmanuel Macron insisted that those statues would not be taken down .
Some activists have revived calls to legalise the collection of statistics on race , religion or ethnicity in France that they say would be a significant step towards wiping out race-based discrimination .
To challenge France ’ s official vision of itself as a colourblind society is at the heart of the movement , according to Ms Traoré .
She says France should scrap the police oversight agencies , which are currently composed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independent bodies .
“ We have to change everything , this systemic racism , we need to break it , ” Traoré said .
“ Today the fight for Adama Traoré does not belong to the Traoré family anymore , ” Traoré said .
“ It ’ s representative of a big unease and dysfunction of the French state , so it ’ s a struggle we take on together .
”

Protesters marked the four-year anniversary of the death of Adama Traoré in police custody on Saturday as a new ‘Adama’ generation of activists crossing traditional class and racial lines continue to grow the movement to stamp out racial injustice in France.
People take part in a march on July 18, 2020 in the Parisian suburb of Beaumont-sur-Oise to commemorate Adama Traoré, a black man who died in police custody four years ago, and to protest against police violence.
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The demonstration took place in the Paris suburb of Beaumont-sur-Oise on Saturday 18 July to honour Adama Traoré, who died on his 24th birthday in July 2016 after an arrest in circumstances that still remain unclear. Climate activists also joined armed with placards that read: “We want to breathe.”
Traoré’s death has become symbolic of a wider cause to expose police brutality, racial injustice and economic inequities many say disproportionately affect the country’s black and Arab minorities.
Assa Traoré, who started the ‘Truth for Adama’ campaign group after her brother’s death, called Saturday for police to be charged with homicide, saying her brother “took the weight of gendarmes" for several minutes.
"Why did those investigations happen four years later?” Assa Traoré asked reporters. “These investigations are because the people put pressure.”
On Friday it was announced that Adama's case would be reopened with investigating judges wanting to probe the young man's past, as well as that of the gendarmes who arrested him and their possible links.
Lawyers for the officers have denied police were at fault. No one has been charged.
Ms Traoré has become the face of France’s own Black Lives Matter movement organising Saturday’s protest and many others held in recent weeks, which were triggered after worldwide anger over the killing in the US of black man George Floyd at the hands of police.
She said that the movement has reached a tipping point here in France where it is attracting a more diverse generation who are black, white, rich and poor, and who refuse to be silenced.
“We became soldiers in spite of ourselves,” she told AP. "There’s a movement today. We call it the Adama generation, these people who are not afraid anymore, and these are youth who will not shut up.”
Zero tolerance
Despite the French government having promised zero tolerance for racism among police, rights groups say accusations of brutality and racism remain largely unaddressed.
Sociologist Sebastian Roché, who's written a book about police in democracy, told newspaper 20 Minutes that police in France, like the US, target minorities: “We see this during identity controls, the so-called stop and frisk policies.”
However, in terms of violence, Roché said, there is no comparison. “American police kill more than a thousand people a year, out of a population of 320 million inhabitants," he says. "The police in France kill 15 to 20 people in a population of 70 million."
Racial minorities have long contested the idea that equality is a right afforded to all. In 2005, riots broke out in the Paris suburbs, triggered by police treatment of mainly North African immigrants.
In 2016, France’s top official for defending citizens’ rights, Jacques Toubon, reported that black and Arab French people were 20 times more likely to be stopped by police than others were. Toubon followed up with a study in 2020 exposing systemic racism in the Paris police.
Reckoning with France’s colonial past
Ms Traoré says she wants to recognise not only the victims of discrimination at the hands of police in France but to highlight the ‘systemic’ racism rooted in France’s colonial past.
France she said had failed to come to terms with its colonial history, including slavery. “These are unsaid things that leave traces, and we suffer the consequences,” she told the New York Times.
Former French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe acknowledged that the global outpouring of emotion after Floyd’s death "resonated with the fears and feelings of a part of the French population". He added that “collectively we have not always necessarily been up to the challenge of the Republic's principles".
Demonstrators have since demanded the removal of statues commemorating France’s former colonies in Africa. However, President Emmanuel Macron insisted that those statues would not be taken down.
Some activists have revived calls to legalise the collection of statistics on race, religion or ethnicity in France that they say would be a significant step towards wiping out race-based discrimination.
To challenge France’s official vision of itself as a colourblind society is at the heart of the movement, according to Ms Traoré. She says France should scrap the police oversight agencies, which are currently composed of police themselves, in favour of independent bodies.
“We have to change everything, this systemic racism, we need to break it,” Traoré said.
“Today the fight for Adama Traoré does not belong to the Traoré family anymore,” Traoré said. “It’s representative of a big unease and dysfunction of the French state, so it’s a struggle we take on together.”
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP)
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france24--2020-07-18--US emergency rooms swamped as Covid-19 surges out of control

A fast-rising rising tide of new coronavirus cases is flooding emergency rooms in parts of the United States , with some patients moved into hallways and nurses working extra shifts to keep up with the surge .
Patients struggling to breathe are being placed on ventilators in emergency wards since intensive care units are full , officials say , and the near-constant care they require is overtaxing workers who also are treating more typical ER cases like chest pains , infections , and fractures .
In Texas , Dr. Alison Haddock of the Baylor College of Medicine said the current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which swamped Houston with floodwaters in 2017 .
The state reported a new daily record for virus deaths Friday and more than 10,000 confirmed cases for the fourth consecutive day .
“ I ’ ve never seen anything like this COVID surge , ” said Haddock , who has worked in emergency rooms since 2007 .
“ We ’ re doing our best , but we ’ re not an ICU.
” Patients are waiting “ hours and hours ” to get admitted , she said , and the least sick people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make room for most seriously ill. Around Seattle , which was the nation 's first hot spot for the virus that causes COVID-19 , a new wave of patients is showing up at emergency departments , said nurse Mike Hastings .
“ What ’ s really frustrating from my side of it is when a patient comes into the emergency department , and is not really having symptoms of COVID , but they feel like they need that testing , ” said Hastings , who works at an area hospital and is president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sometimes we ’ re not able to test them because we don ’ t have enough test supplies , so we ’ re only testing a certain set of patients . ''
Confirmed coronavirus cases around the world have surpassed 14 million , and deaths neared 600,000 , according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University .
On Friday , the World Health Organization reported a single-day record of new infections at over 237,000 .
The true toll of the pandemic is thought to be higher , in part because of shortages in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The United States , Brazil and India top the list of cases .
South Africa — with 337,000 cases , roughly half of all confirmed infections in Africa — was poised to join the top five countries most affected by the pandemic .
In the United States , where infections are soaring in many Sunbelt states , Megan Jehn , associate professor of epidemiology at Arizona State Universtiy in Tempe , said it 's important to monitor emergency room visits since increases there can signal that the virus is spreading more rapidly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ complete picture of how emergency rooms are faring in many places .
In Arizona , one of the few states that reports data on visits to the emergency room by people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 symptoms , numbers started to spike in early June and peaked earlier this month .
More than 2,000 people went to an ER with coronavirus symptoms on a single day , July 7 .
Dr. Robert Hancock , who works at multiple hospitals in Texas and Oklahoma and serves as president of the Texas College of Emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are facing backups of patients awaiting ICU beds .
And many of them are on ventilators , meaning they require more attention than other patients .
`` Unfortunately , because of the increased demand for personnel , there typically isn ’ t anybody free to come down to the ER to help a lot of times from a nursing standpoint , ” he said .
Burnout could await these health workers , as it did some in New York City , when it was the epicenter of the nation 's outbreak in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were caught off guard by the relentless stream of severely sick patients during shifts that often lasted 12 hours , said Dr. Bernard P. Chang of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center .
“ You were on high alert the whole shift , ” Chang said .
“ It was a brutal , sustained battle .
”

A fast-rising rising tide of new coronavirus cases is flooding emergency rooms in parts of the United States, with some patients moved into hallways and nurses working extra shifts to keep up with the surge.
Advertising Read more
Patients struggling to breathe are being placed on ventilators in emergency wards since intensive care units are full, officials say, and the near-constant care they require is overtaxing workers who also are treating more typical ER cases like chest pains, infections, and fractures.
In Texas, Dr. Alison Haddock of the Baylor College of Medicine said the current situation is worse than after Hurricane Harvey, which swamped Houston with floodwaters in 2017. The state reported a new daily record for virus deaths Friday and more than 10,000 confirmed cases for the fourth consecutive day.
>> California ‘never should have re-opened’ as Covid-19 cases surge to record high
“I’ve never seen anything like this COVID surge,” said Haddock, who has worked in emergency rooms since 2007. “We’re doing our best, but we’re not an ICU.”
Patients are waiting “hours and hours” to get admitted, she said, and the least sick people are lying in beds in halls to make room for most seriously ill.
Around Seattle, which was the nation's first hot spot for the virus that causes COVID-19, a new wave of patients is showing up at emergency departments, said nurse Mike Hastings.
“What’s really frustrating from my side of it is when a patient comes into the emergency department, and is not really having symptoms of COVID, but they feel like they need that testing,” said Hastings, who works at an area hospital and is president of the Emergency Nurses Association. “Sometimes we’re not able to test them because we don’t have enough test supplies, so we’re only testing a certain set of patients."
Confirmed coronavirus cases around the world have surpassed 14 million, and deaths neared 600,000, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. On Friday, the World Health Organization reported a single-day record of new infections at over 237,000. The true toll of the pandemic is thought to be higher, in part because of shortages in testing and shortcomings in data collection.
The United States, Brazil and India top the list of cases. South Africa — with 337,000 cases, roughly half of all confirmed infections in Africa — was poised to join the top five countries most affected by the pandemic.
In the United States, where infections are soaring in many Sunbelt states, Megan Jehn, associate professor of epidemiology at Arizona State Universtiy in Tempe, said it's important to monitor emergency room visits since increases there can signal that the virus is spreading more rapidly.
But it's difficult to get a complete picture of how emergency rooms are faring in many places. In Arizona, one of the few states that reports data on visits to the emergency room by people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 symptoms, numbers started to spike in early June and peaked earlier this month. More than 2,000 people went to an ER with coronavirus symptoms on a single day, July 7.
Dr. Robert Hancock, who works at multiple hospitals in Texas and Oklahoma and serves as president of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians, said some Texas emergency rooms are facing backups of patients awaiting ICU beds. And many of them are on ventilators, meaning they require more attention than other patients.
"Unfortunately, because of the increased demand for personnel, there typically isn’t anybody free to come down to the ER to help a lot of times from a nursing standpoint,” he said.
Burnout could await these health workers, as it did some in New York City, when it was the epicenter of the nation's outbreak in the spring.
Emergency rooms doctors and nurses were caught off guard by the relentless stream of severely sick patients during shifts that often lasted 12 hours, said Dr. Bernard P. Chang of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.
“You were on high alert the whole shift,” Chang said. “It was a brutal, sustained battle.”
(AP)
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france24--2020-07-18--Thousands protest in Russia's far east, challenging Kremlin

People take part in a rally in support of arrested regional governor Sergei Furgal who is accused of organising the murder of several entrepreneurs 15 years ago , in Khabarovsk , Russia July 18 , 2020 .
Mass rallies challenging the Kremlin rocked Russia 's Far East city of Khabarovsk again on Saturday , as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest the arrest of the region ’ s governor on charges of involvement in multiple murders .
The massive unauthoritized crowds gathered despite local officials ’ attempts to discourage people from taking to the streets , citing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrorist threat .
Local media estimated the rally in the city 3,800 miles east of Moscow drew 15,000 to 50,000 people , while city authorities put the number at 10,000 .
Hundreds of people have rallied in the city every day this week against the arrest of Sergei Furgal , reflecting widespread anger over the arrest of the popular governor and a simmering discontent with the Kremlin ’ s policies .
Furgal , the Khabarovsk region governor , was arrested on July 9 and flown to Moscow where he was put in jail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Investigative Committee says he is suspected of involvement in several murders of businessmen in 2004 and 2005 .
Furgal has denied the charges , which relate to his time as a businessman importing consumer goods ranging from timber and metals .
Khabarovsk residents dismissed the charges against him as unsubstantiated and denounced the Kremlin for targeting a governor they elected .
“ It ’ s not only about this ( whether Furgal arrest is legal or not ) .
People are fed up with the way we are treated , that they can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protester Mikhail Yerashchenko told The Associated Press on Saturday .
A member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party , Furgal was elected governor in 2018 , defeating the Kremlin-backed incumbent .
His victory was unexpected : Furgal did n't actively campaign and toed the Kremlin 's line , publicly supporting his rival .
People voted for him nonetheless , delivering a humiliating blow to the main Kremlin party , United Russia , that has been losing seats in regional governments over the past two years .
During his two years in office , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the people 's governor . ''
He cut his own salary , ordered the sale of an expensive yacht that the previous administration bought , met with protesters when rallies happened and significantly reduced flight fares for residents in remote areas .
“ Furgal became a political symbol for the residents of the region , and all accusations — no matter how grave — are from another , non-political dimension , ” political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said in a Facebook post .
Last Saturday , crowds of reportedly up to 35,000 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Furgal 's trial be moved to Khabarovsk , with one saying “ we have elected him and it 's up to us to judge him . ''
Some questioned the timing of the arrest , pointing to Furgal 's decade-long stint as a lawmaker in the Russian parliament before running for governor , during which the murder charges never came up .
The unauthorized protests are the largest ever in Khabarovsk , a city of 590,000 .
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation “ not standard '' this week .
Moscow has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days after Furgal 's arrest .
Police did n't interfere with Saturday 's rally .
Protesters held banners demanding Furgal 's freedom and chanted “ I , you , he and she – the entire country is for Furgal ” .
Smaller rallies in support of Furgal also took place Saturday in Komsomolsk-on-Amur , another big city in the Khabarovsk region , and in the city of Vladivostok in the neighboring Primorye region .
“ Though I ’ m almost 70 , I worry sincerely about my region , about Russia and our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I want us to be free , '' Alla Sokolova , a protester in Khabarovsk , told the AP .

Mass rallies challenging the Kremlin rocked Russia's Far East city of Khabarovsk again on Saturday, as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest the arrest of the region’s governor on charges of involvement in multiple murders.
People take part in a rally in support of arrested regional governor Sergei Furgal who is accused of organising the murder of several entrepreneurs 15 years ago, in Khabarovsk, Russia July 18, 2020.
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The massive unauthoritized crowds gathered despite local officials’ attempts to discourage people from taking to the streets, citing the coronavirus epidemic and an alleged averted terrorist threat.
Local media estimated the rally in the city 3,800 miles east of Moscow drew 15,000 to 50,000 people, while city authorities put the number at 10,000. Hundreds of people have rallied in the city every day this week against the arrest of Sergei Furgal, reflecting widespread anger over the arrest of the popular governor and a simmering discontent with the Kremlin’s policies.
Furgal, the Khabarovsk region governor, was arrested on July 9 and flown to Moscow where he was put in jail for two months. Russia’s Investigative Committee says he is suspected of involvement in several murders of businessmen in 2004 and 2005.
Furgal has denied the charges, which relate to his time as a businessman importing consumer goods ranging from timber and metals. Khabarovsk residents dismissed the charges against him as unsubstantiated and denounced the Kremlin for targeting a governor they elected.
“It’s not only about this (whether Furgal arrest is legal or not). People are fed up with the way we are treated, that they can simply take away our choice," protester Mikhail Yerashchenko told The Associated Press on Saturday.
A member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, Furgal was elected governor in 2018, defeating the Kremlin-backed incumbent. His victory was unexpected: Furgal didn't actively campaign and toed the Kremlin's line, publicly supporting his rival.
People voted for him nonetheless, delivering a humiliating blow to the main Kremlin party, United Russia, that has been losing seats in regional governments over the past two years.
During his two years in office, Furgal has earned a reputation of being “the people's governor." He cut his own salary, ordered the sale of an expensive yacht that the previous administration bought, met with protesters when rallies happened and significantly reduced flight fares for residents in remote areas.
“Furgal became a political symbol for the residents of the region, and all accusations — no matter how grave — are from another, non-political dimension,” political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said in a Facebook post.
Last Saturday, crowds of reportedly up to 35,000 people rallied in Khabarovsk. Protesters demanded that Furgal's trial be moved to Khabarovsk, with one saying “we have elected him and it's up to us to judge him." Some questioned the timing of the arrest, pointing to Furgal's decade-long stint as a lawmaker in the Russian parliament before running for governor, during which the murder charges never came up.
The unauthorized protests are the largest ever in Khabarovsk, a city of 590,000. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation “not standard" this week. Moscow has not yet appointed an acting governor 11 days after Furgal's arrest.
Police didn't interfere with Saturday's rally. Protesters held banners demanding Furgal's freedom and chanted “I, you, he and she – the entire country is for Furgal”.
Smaller rallies in support of Furgal also took place Saturday in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, another big city in the Khabarovsk region, and in the city of Vladivostok in the neighboring Primorye region.
“Though I’m almost 70, I worry sincerely about my region, about Russia and our nation, about Furgal and freedom. I want us to be free," Alla Sokolova, a protester in Khabarovsk, told the AP.
(AP)
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france24--2020-07-18--Algerian ex-minister dies of Covid-19 in jail

Then Algerian minister of telecommunications Moussa Benhamadi during a press conference in the capital Algiers , on November 4 , 2012 .
A former Algerian cabinet minister detained in a corruption case has died from the COVID-19 illness , his brother said Saturday .
Ex-telecom minister Moussa Benhamadi , 67 , who was close to ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika , contracted the novel coronavirus earlier this month and died on Friday , his brother Abdelmalek Benhamadi told AFP .
He had contracted the disease in prison and been transferred to an Algiers hospital where he died .
Another brother , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French-language daily Liberte that the ex-minister had fallen ill on July 4 and was only hospitalised nine days later .
Algeria has declared some 22,000 cases of COVID-19 , including more than 1,000 deaths .
Moussa Benhamadi had been held in pre-trial detention at El Harrach prison since September 2019 as part of an investigation into corruption involving the Algerian high-tech firm Condor Electronics .
Bouteflika , who was Algeria 's longest-serving president , was forced to resign in April last year after losing the backing of the army amid massive street protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term .
Following his departure , authorities launched a string of graft investigations into members of his entourage accused of abusing their power .
Bouteflika 's powerful brother Said and two former intelligence chiefs have been jailed , as have powerful businessmen and former government ministers .
Benhamadi 's brother and head of Condor Electronics , Abderahmane Benhamadi , was released in April from provisional detention on suspicion of corruption .
Another brother , Omar Benhamadi , director general of the family business Condor , is still behind bars .

A former Algerian cabinet minister detained in a corruption case has died from the COVID-19 illness, his brother said Saturday.
Then Algerian minister of telecommunications Moussa Benhamadi during a press conference in the capital Algiers, on November 4, 2012.
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Ex-telecom minister Moussa Benhamadi, 67, who was close to ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, contracted the novel coronavirus earlier this month and died on Friday, his brother Abdelmalek Benhamadi told AFP.
He had contracted the disease in prison and been transferred to an Algiers hospital where he died.
Another brother, Hocine Benhamadi, told the website of French-language daily Liberte that the ex-minister had fallen ill on July 4 and was only hospitalised nine days later.
Algeria has declared some 22,000 cases of COVID-19, including more than 1,000 deaths.
Moussa Benhamadi had been held in pre-trial detention at El Harrach prison since September 2019 as part of an investigation into corruption involving the Algerian high-tech firm Condor Electronics.
Bouteflika, who was Algeria's longest-serving president, was forced to resign in April last year after losing the backing of the army amid massive street protests against his decision to seek a fifth term.
Following his departure, authorities launched a string of graft investigations into members of his entourage accused of abusing their power.
Bouteflika's powerful brother Said and two former intelligence chiefs have been jailed, as have powerful businessmen and former government ministers.
Benhamadi's brother and head of Condor Electronics, Abderahmane Benhamadi, was released in April from provisional detention on suspicion of corruption.
Another brother, Omar Benhamadi, director general of the family business Condor, is still behind bars.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-18--Twitter says hackers 'manipulated' employees to access accounts

Twitter said Saturday that hackers 'manipulated ' some of its employees to access accounts in a high-profile attack , including those of Joe Biden and Elon Musk , and apologised profusely for the breach .
Twitter said Saturday that hackers `` manipulated '' some of its employees to access accounts in a high-profile attack , including those of Joe Biden and Elon Musk , and apologized profusely for the breach .
Posts trying to dupe people into sending the hackers Bitcoin were tweeted by the official accounts of Apple , Uber , Bill Gates and many others on Wednesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounts in damage control .
The hack has also raised questions about Twitter 's security as it serves as a megaphone for politicians ahead of November 's election .
More than $ 100,000 worth of the virtual currency was sent to email addresses mentioned in the tweets , according to Blockchain.com , which monitors crypto transactions .
`` We know that they accessed tools only available to our internal support teams to target 130 Twitter accounts , '' said a statement posted Saturday on Twitter 's blog .
For 45 of those accounts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passwords , login and send tweets , it added , while the personal data of up to eight unverified users was downloaded .
Twitter said it was aware of its responsibility to its users and to society in general .
`` We 're embarrassed , we 're disappointed , and more than anything , we 're sorry , '' Twitter said .
`` We know that we must work to regain your trust , and we will support all efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice . ''
Twitter locked down affected accounts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also shut off accounts not affected by the hack as a precaution .
Most of those have now been restored , Twitter said on Saturday .
For the 130 accounts that were accessed , Twitter said the hackers were able to see personal information including email addresses and phone numbers .
And in cases where hackers took over an account , they may have been able to view `` additional information , '' Twitter said without going into detail .
It did not name the employees involved in the drama .
The attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young friends -- one who lives with his mother -- with no links to state or organized crime , The New York Times reported on Friday .
The paper said it interviewed four people who participated in the hacking , who shared logs and screenshots backing up their accounts of what happened .
The young hackers said a mysterious user who went by the name `` Kirk '' initiated the scheme with a message and was the one with access to Twitter accounts .
They added they were only involved in taking control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as an `` @ '' sign and single letters or numbers that could easily be sold , according to the report .
The hackers maintained they stopped serving as middlemen for `` Kirk '' when high-profile users became targets .
President Donald Trump 's account , which has 83.5 million followers , was not targeted .
`` The president will remain on Twitter , '' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said .
`` His account was secure and not jeopardized during these attacks . ''
Twitter said it is limiting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while it carries out `` remediation steps '' to secure the site , as well as training employees to guard against future hacking attempts .

Twitter said Saturday that hackers "manipulated" some of its employees to access accounts in a high-profile attack, including those of Joe Biden and Elon Musk, and apologized profusely for the breach.
Twitter said Saturday that hackers 'manipulated' some of its employees to access accounts in a high-profile attack, including those of Joe Biden and Elon Musk, and apologised profusely for the breach.
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Posts trying to dupe people into sending the hackers Bitcoin were tweeted by the official accounts of Apple, Uber, Bill Gates and many others on Wednesday, forcing Twitter to lock large numbers of accounts in damage control.
The hack has also raised questions about Twitter's security as it serves as a megaphone for politicians ahead of November's election.
More than $100,000 worth of the virtual currency was sent to email addresses mentioned in the tweets, according to Blockchain.com, which monitors crypto transactions.
"We know that they accessed tools only available to our internal support teams to target 130 Twitter accounts," said a statement posted Saturday on Twitter's blog.
For 45 of those accounts, the hackers were able to reset passwords, login and send tweets, it added, while the personal data of up to eight unverified users was downloaded.
Twitter said it was aware of its responsibility to its users and to society in general.
"We're embarrassed, we're disappointed, and more than anything, we're sorry," Twitter said.
"We know that we must work to regain your trust, and we will support all efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice."
Twitter locked down affected accounts and removed the fraudulent tweets. It also shut off accounts not affected by the hack as a precaution.
Most of those have now been restored, Twitter said on Saturday.
For the 130 accounts that were accessed, Twitter said the hackers were able to see personal information including email addresses and phone numbers.
'We're sorry'
And in cases where hackers took over an account, they may have been able to view "additional information," Twitter said without going into detail.
It did not name the employees involved in the drama.
The attack was carried out by a group of young friends -- one who lives with his mother -- with no links to state or organized crime, The New York Times reported on Friday.
The paper said it interviewed four people who participated in the hacking, who shared logs and screenshots backing up their accounts of what happened.
The young hackers said a mysterious user who went by the name "Kirk" initiated the scheme with a message and was the one with access to Twitter accounts.
They added they were only involved in taking control of lesser-known but desirable Twitter accounts, such as an "@" sign and single letters or numbers that could easily be sold, according to the report.
The hackers maintained they stopped serving as middlemen for "Kirk" when high-profile users became targets.
President Donald Trump's account, which has 83.5 million followers, was not targeted.
"The president will remain on Twitter," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. "His account was secure and not jeopardized during these attacks."
Twitter said it is limiting the information it makes public about the attack while it carries out "remediation steps" to secure the site, as well as training employees to guard against future hacking attempts.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-19--French investigators questioning man in connection with Nantes cathedral fire

French firefighters gather at the scene of a blaze at the Cathedral of St Pierre and St Paul in Nantes @ @ @ @ @ 18 , 2020 .
French investigators are questioning a man who worked at the cathedral @ @ @ @ @ in connection with a fire that badly damaged the structure , a prosecutor said on @ @ @ @ @ was responsible for closing the cathedral on Friday evening and investigators wanted to clarify certain @ @ @ @ @ this person '' , prosecutor Pierre Sennes told AFP .
But he emphasised that `` @ @ @ @ @ this person in what occurred is premature '' .
Prosecutors launched an arson investigation on @ @ @ @ @ which broke out in three places at the gothic Cathedral of St Peter and St @ @ @ @ @ .

French investigators are questioning a man who worked at the cathedral in the city of Nantes in connection with a fire that badly damaged the structure, a prosecutor said on Sunday.
French firefighters gather at the scene of a blaze at the Cathedral of St Pierre and St Paul in Nantes, France, on July 18, 2020.
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The man "was responsible for closing the cathedral on Friday evening and investigators wanted to clarify certain elements of the schedule of this person", prosecutor Pierre Sennes told AFP. But he emphasised that "any interpretation that could implicate this person in what occurred is premature".
Prosecutors launched an arson investigation on Saturday after the fire, which broke out in three places at the gothic Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul in Nantes, France.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-19--Syrians vote in parliamentary election as inflation hits war-damaged economy

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma al-Assad vote in the country ’ s parliamentary elections in Damascus on July 19 , 2020 .
Syrians voted Sunday to elect a new parliament as the Damascus government grapples with international sanctions and a crumbling economy after retaking large parts of the war-torn country .
More than 7,400 polling stations opened across government-held parts of Syria , including for the first time in former opposition strongholds , the electoral commission said .
President Bashar al-Assad 's Baath party and its allies are expected to take most of parliament 's 250 seats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held since the war started nine years ago .
On the eve of the polls , one person was killed and another wounded in two blasts in Damascus , state news agency SANA said .
Several lists were allowed to run across the country but any real opposition is absent , and the ruling Baath party is expected to retain its hegemony .
Portraits of the contenders have been displayed across the capital for weeks , with the 1,658 candidates including several prominent businessmen .
The elections , twice postponed from April due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a time when most Syrians are worried about the soaring cost of living .
Many candidates are running on programmes pledging to tackle inflation and improve infrastructure ravaged by the conflict .
`` Lawmakers are going to have to make exceptional efforts to improve services , '' said Umaya , a 31-year-old woman who works in a dentist 's practice .
Millions of Syrians living abroad , after fleeing a war that has killed more than 380,000 people , are not eligible to vote .
But for the first time , voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government , including in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus and in the south of Idlib province in the country 's northwest .
After a string of military victories backed by key ally Russia , the government is back in control of around 70 percent of the country , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says .
In the last polls in 2016 , turnout stood at 57 percent .
This year 's vote comes as Damascus struggles to redress an economy battered by nine years of war , Western sanctions and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighbouring Lebanon .
Food prices in Syria have shot up by more than 200 percent in the past year and now stand at 20 times their pre-war levels , the World Food Programme says .
In a country where more than 80 percent of people already live in poverty , the UN food agency has warned that Syrians are now facing an `` unprecedented hunger crisis '' .
The elections also come as Assad marked a second decade in power this month , and weeks after the United States imposed new sanctions on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The next presidential polls are expected in 2021 , and candidates will need the written approval of at least 35 members of parliament .
Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem last month said Assad would remain in power `` as long as the Syrians want him to stay '' .

Syrians voted Sunday to elect a new parliament as the Damascus government grapples with international sanctions and a crumbling economy after retaking large parts of the war-torn country.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma al-Assad vote in the country’s parliamentary elections in Damascus on July 19, 2020.
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More than 7,400 polling stations opened across government-held parts of Syria, including for the first time in former opposition strongholds, the electoral commission said.
President Bashar al-Assad's Baath party and its allies are expected to take most of parliament's 250 seats in the third such polls to be held since the war started nine years ago.
On the eve of the polls, one person was killed and another wounded in two blasts in Damascus, state news agency SANA said.
Several lists were allowed to run across the country but any real opposition is absent, and the ruling Baath party is expected to retain its hegemony.
Portraits of the contenders have been displayed across the capital for weeks, with the 1,658 candidates including several prominent businessmen.
The elections, twice postponed from April due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, come at a time when most Syrians are worried about the soaring cost of living.
Many candidates are running on programmes pledging to tackle inflation and improve infrastructure ravaged by the conflict.
"Lawmakers are going to have to make exceptional efforts to improve services," said Umaya, a 31-year-old woman who works in a dentist's practice.
Millions of Syrians living abroad, after fleeing a war that has killed more than 380,000 people, are not eligible to vote.
But for the first time, voting will take place in territory retaken by the government, including in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus and in the south of Idlib province in the country's northwest.
After a string of military victories backed by key ally Russia, the government is back in control of around 70 percent of the country, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.
In the last polls in 2016, turnout stood at 57 percent.
'Unprecedented hunger crisis'
This year's vote comes as Damascus struggles to redress an economy battered by nine years of war, Western sanctions and the fallout of a financial crisis in neighbouring Lebanon.
Food prices in Syria have shot up by more than 200 percent in the past year and now stand at 20 times their pre-war levels, the World Food Programme says.
In a country where more than 80 percent of people already live in poverty, the UN food agency has warned that Syrians are now facing an "unprecedented hunger crisis".
The elections also come as Assad marked a second decade in power this month, and weeks after the United States imposed new sanctions on Syria including on the president's wife.
The next presidential polls are expected in 2021, and candidates will need the written approval of at least 35 members of parliament.
Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem last month said Assad would remain in power "as long as the Syrians want him to stay".
(AFP)
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france24--2020-07-19--EU leaders to meet for third day of difficult Covid-19 rescue-package talks

France 's President Emmanuel Macron ( L ) , Luxembourg 's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel ( C ) and European Council President Charles Michel ( R ) speak as Austria 's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz looks on during the second day of an EU summit in Brussels , Belgium on July 18 , 2020 .
EU leaders return for a tense third day of summit talks on Sunday amid a clash over the scale and rules of a huge planned coronavirus economic rescue package .
For two days , the Netherlands and its `` frugal '' allies have resisted the pleas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's most powerful members , to agree a plan to lift the countries hardest hit by the pandemic – most notably Spain and Italy .
The Dutch had demanded that member states wield a veto over national bailouts to ensure countries carry out labour market reforms , and Austria , Finland , Denmark and Sweden want to see the up-to-€750 billion package of loans and subsidies cut down to size .
But , after two days of meetings between various groups of the 27 leaders , EU Council President Charles Michel was left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a compromise that could be satisfactory to all when the leaders reconvened in a plenary session at noon ( 1000 GMT ) on Sunday .
`` The consultations are at an important stage , '' said a member of the German delegation .
`` It can not yet be said whether there will be a solution tomorrow , but it is worth continuing to work . ''
A French diplomatic source said that President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel refused pressure by the Netherlands ’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheme to below €400 billion ( $ 460 billion ) .
The offer was made in a meeting that pitted Macron and Merkel against Rutte and the other leaders of his `` Frugal Five '' allies – Austria , Denmark , Sweden and Finland .
Speaking to reporters , Rutte acknowledged that his French and German counterparts left the late-night meeting looking irritated .
But `` this was n't only because of me '' , he said .
`` Tomorrow we continue , '' he said .
`` I have n't heard any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throes of a massive recession and leaders are trying to approve a plan that could quickly send EU cash to countries hit the hardest , most notably Spain and Italy .
Michel , who chairs EU summits , was obliged to propose a fresh plan after previous versions were refused by the Netherlands on the grounds that they gave away too much cash as grants , instead of lending it as loans .
Rutte is also wary about the plan 's governance and insists that national governments get a veto on the spending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brussels package .
Underlying his concern is the reputation of Spain and Italy for lax public spending in the minds of voters in northern Europe , and Rutte wants them to reform their labour and pensions rules .
`` We 're in a stalemate , it 's very complicated , more complicated than expected , '' Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said .
In a concession to Rutte 's demands , Michel 's latest plan includes a `` super emergency brake '' that gives any country a three-day window to trigger a review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending plans .
An official from a non-frugal state insisted this was not a veto , and it appeared late on Saturday that the idea may have survived , sources said .
But the frugal countries were still not happy and were seeking more cuts late into Saturday .
The Michel proposal would have kept the total recovery budget at €750 million , but shift the balance slightly from grants – down from 500 million to 450 million – to loans , which rise from 250 million to 300 million , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ratio of grants versus loans simply has to be different , '' Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told reporters .
To further entice Austria , the Netherlands and the other `` frugals '' – Sweden and Denmark – Michel promised to hike the rebates they get on their EU contributions .
`` That 's not quite enough for us .
We want a bit more , but the direction is a good one , '' Kurz said .
But the `` frugals '' are not the only problem .
What EU officials call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will also be a stumbling block .
Hungary 's Prime Minister Viktor Orban – backed by Poland – could yet veto any attempt to tie budget funds to states upholding European legal standards .
`` No political pre-conditions can be accepted , '' said Zoltan Kovacs , a spokesman for Orban .
And the rescue package is in addition to the planned seven-year EU budget – worth more than €1 trillion – that the leaders must also discuss if and when they agree the rescue package .
Here , countries will defend traditional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farming to France and development projects in eastern Europe , that others would like to see go to fighting climate change or technology .

European Union leaders remained fundamentally divided for a third day Sunday over an unprecedented 1.85 trillion-euro ($2.1 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that they might not reach a deal despite the urgency imposed by the pandemic.
France's President Emmanuel Macron (L), Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (C) and European Council President Charles Michel (R) speak as Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz looks on during the second day of an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium on July 18, 2020.
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Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said in his seven years’ experience of European meetings, “I have never seen positions as diametrically opposed as this.”
Even with Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron negotiating as the closest of partners, the traditionally powerful Franco-German alliance could not get the bloc's 27 quarreling nations in line.
Often negotiating outdoors on a sundeck in the Europa summit center in Brussels, the blue skies and fresh breeze had no impact on the mood. Undiplomatic terms like “”hate" and “grumpy" have been thrown around between leaders during marathon negotiations that should have drawn everyone closer together to fight a historic recession in the bloc.
“Whether there will be a solution, I still can’t say,” Merkel said as she arrived early for the extra day of talks.
The pandemic has sent the EU into a tailspin, killing around 135,000 of its citizens and sending its economy into an estimated contraction of 8.3% this year.
The bloc’s executive has proposed a 750 billion-euro coronavirus fund, partly based on common borrowing, to be sent as loans and grants to the countries hit hardest by the pandemic. That comes on top of the seven-year 1 trillion-euro EU budget that leaders have been haggling over for months even before the pandemic hit.
All nations agree they need to band together but five richer countries in the north, led by the Netherlands, want strict controls on spending, while struggling southern nations like Spain and Italy say those conditions should be kept to a minimum.
The differences were so great that Sunday's resumption of talks by all 27 leaders together was pushed back several hours as small groups worked on new compromise proposals.
The leaders finally sat down to dinner together in the early evening, and could mull a proposal from the group of five wealthy northern nations that suggested a coronavirus recovery fund with 350 million euros of grants and the same amount again in loans. The five EU nations nicknamed “the frugals” — the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Denmark — had long opposed any grants at all.
Merkel and Macron walked out of heated talks before dawn Sunday with the frugals, bemoaning their lack of commitment to a common cause.
“They ran off in a bad mood,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.
Rutte has long been known as a European bridge builder, but this weekend his tough negotiating stance is being blamed for holding up a deal. He and his allies are pushing for labor market and pension reforms to be linked to EU handouts and a “brake” enabling EU nations to monitor and, if necessary, halt projects that are being paid for by the recovery fund.
Rutte and the other frugal leaders held talks with EU summit host Charles Michel early Sunday but Merkel and Macron refused to water down their proposals of aid.
While Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says he has a good personal relationship with Rutte, he said the “clash is very hard” and that Rutte’s demand for a veto ”is an unwarranted request.”
“He can’t ask us to do specific reforms,” Conte said. "Once (the aid) is approved, each country will present its proposals.”
Another member of the frugals, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, said he still believed a deal was possible, but there is a “long way to go,” the Austria Press Agency cited Kurz as saying.
Rutte also wants a link to be made between the handout of EU funds and the rule of law — a connection aimed at Poland and Hungary, countries with right-wing populist governments that many in the EU think are sliding away from democratic rule.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban raised the specter of a second wave of COVID-19 that could hit EU economies hard in the fall or winter.
“I don’t know what is the personal reason for the Dutch prime minister to hate me or Hungary, but he’s attacking so harshly and making very clear that because Hungary, in his opinion, does not respect the rule of law, (it) must be punished financially,” Orban said.
Orban was prepared to stick around for a week if necessary to reach a deal.
"Not even soccer is as important as reaching an agreement. It’s not about Hungary but about Europe now,” said the notoriously soccer-mad prime minister.
Macron said leaders need to compromise but still respect the underlying principles and goals of the EU.
“It is still possible, but these compromises, I say very clearly, will not be made at the cost of European ambition,” he said.
(AP)
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