Virginia is now the 23rd state in the United States to end capital punishment. Democratic Governor Ralph Northam Wednesday signed legislation repealing the death penalty in Virginia, saying it was "the moral thing to do."

Virginia is the first of the southern states that made up the Confederacy during the 1861-65 US Civil War to eliminate capital punishment.

The state last carried out an execution in 2017 and 1,400 in total -- more than any other of the 50 US states since its founding as a colony in the early 1600s.

The two prisoners currently on Death Row in Virginia will have their sentences converted to life without parole.

Northam signed the bill ending the death penalty at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia, which houses the state's execution chamber.

The governor described the use of the death penalty in Virginia as "fundamentally flawed" and racially biased.

Northam said that in the 20th century, 296 of the 377 defendants executed in Virginia for murder were Black. He cited studies that found a defendant is more than three times as likely to be sentenced to death if the victim of a crime is white than if the victim is Black.

The European Union applauded what it called the latest step in a growing trend to abandon capital punishment.

"The death penalty is incompatible with human dignity and the right to life, constitutes inhuman and degrading treatment, and does not have any proven deterrent effect," the bloc said in a statement.

The Virginia House of Delegates voted 57-41 last month to end capital punishment, two days after the state Senate approved a similar bill.

Virginia has conducted the second-most executions after Texas since the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

The state housed the capital of the pro-slavery South during the Civil War and was also the site of numerous lynchings of African Americans.

Contrary to all this, at the same time, former president Donald Trump's administration resumed federal executions and put 13 federal inmates to death between July 2020 and his departure from the White House in January.

Trump's successor, Joe Biden, has pledged to abolish the federal death penalty.

Virginia is now the 23rd state in the United States to end capital punishment. Democratic Governor Ralph Northam Wednesday signed legislation repealing the death penalty in Virginia, saying it was "the moral thing to do.

Virginia is now the 23rd state in the United States to end capital punishment. Democratic Governor Ralph Northam Wednesday signed legislation repealing the death penalty in Virginia, saying it was "the moral thing to do." Virginia is the first of the southern states that made up the Confederacy during the 1861-65 US Civil War to eliminate capital punishment. The state last carried out an execution in 2017 and 1,400 in total -- more than any other of the 50 US states since its founding as a colony in the early 1600s. The two prisoners currently on Death Row in Virginia will have their sentences converted to life without parole. Northam signed the bill ending the death penalty at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia, which houses the state's execution chamber. The governor described the use of the death penalty in Virginia as "fundamentally flawed" and racially biased. Northam said that in the 20th century, 296 of the 377 defendants executed in Virginia for murder were Black. He cited studies that found a defendant is more than three times as likely to be sentenced to death if the victim of a crime is white than if the victim is Black. The European Union applauded what it called the latest step in a growing trend to abandon capital punishment. "The death penalty is incompatible with human dignity and the right to life, constitutes inhuman and degrading treatment, and does not have any proven deterrent effect," the bloc said in a statement. The Virginia House of Delegates voted 57-41 last month to end capital punishment, two days after the state Senate approved a similar bill. Virginia has conducted the second-most executions after Texas since the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. The state housed the capital of the pro-slavery South during the Civil War and was also the site of numerous lynchings of African Americans. Contrary to all this, at the same time, former president Donald Trump's administration resumed federal executions and put 13 federal inmates to death between July 2020 and his departure from the White House in January. Trump's successor, Joe Biden, has pledged to abolish the federal death penalty.

Virginia first southern US state to abolish death penalty

A classical duo played soothing music for frontline workers and people getting their coronavirus vaccines in Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday (March 24).

Classical duo injects music into coronavirus vaccination site

Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia on Tuesday restored voting rights to more than 69,000 people who have served time in the state’s prisons — bucking a nationwide push in Georgia and other Republican-run states to restrict ballot access.

Northam, a Democrat, used his executive authority to reverse restrictions that deprive anyone convicted of a felony of their right to vote, run for office, become a notary or serve on juries.

The state “would automatically restore voting rights to individuals upon completion of their sentence of incarceration,” Northam said in a statement announcing the change — technically a rewrite of the state’s “eligibility criteria” for certain rights.

“Too many of our laws were written during a time of open racism and discrimination, and they still bear the traces of inequity,” Northam said.

He added: “We are a Commonwealth that believes in moving forward, not being tied down by the mistakes of our past. If we want people to return to our communities and participate in society, we must welcome them back fully — and this policy does just that.”

The move comes about two weeks after the state Legislature passed a sweeping voting rights bill that prevents any action that restricts ballot access to an individual or group on the basis of their race or color or for speaking languages other than English.

Virginia is one of only three states to disenfranchise people with felony convictions unless a governor steps in to restore their rights on a case-by-case basis.

In 2016, Terry McAuliffe, the former governor and a Democrat, tried to issue a similar executive order restoring the rights of 200,000 formerly incarcerated Virginians. He was blocked by the courts but eventually restored the rights of about 173,000 people, one by one, the biggest mass voting rights restoration of any governor in history.

It is not clear whether opponents of Northam’s policy will try to keep the order from being implemented or whether it will pass muster before courts.

But Northam and legislative leaders hope it never gets to that point — they want to enshrine the changes in the state’s constitution.

That will take time.

Earlier this year, the state’s General Assembly approved a constitutional amendment that would restore the civil rights to people upon completion of their sentence of incarceration, but it must be passed again, in the 2022 session, before being presented to the public as a voter referendum.

Northam, who is restricted by the state’s constitution from serving consecutive terms, basked in the praise of civil rights groups and his fellow Democrats for his order.

It was a remarkable turnaround from two years earlier, when many in his party called for his resignation in the wake of a report that he had appeared in blackface at a party when he was in medical school.

Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia on Tuesday restored voting rights to more than 69,000 people who have served time in the state’s prisons — bucking a nationwide push in Georgia and other Republican-run states to restrict ballot access.

Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia on Tuesday restored voting rights to more than 69,000 people who have served time in the state’s prisons — bucking a nationwide push in Georgia and other Republican-run states to restrict ballot access. Northam, a Democrat, used his executive authority to reverse restrictions that deprive anyone convicted of a felony of their right to vote, run for office, become a notary or serve on juries. The state “would automatically restore voting rights to individuals upon completion of their sentence of incarceration,” Northam said in a statement announcing the change — technically a rewrite of the state’s “eligibility criteria” for certain rights. “Too many of our laws were written during a time of open racism and discrimination, and they still bear the traces of inequity,” Northam said. He added: “We are a Commonwealth that believes in moving forward, not being tied down by the mistakes of our past. If we want people to return to our communities and participate in society, we must welcome them back fully — and this policy does just that.” The move comes about two weeks after the state Legislature passed a sweeping voting rights bill that prevents any action that restricts ballot access to an individual or group on the basis of their race or color or for speaking languages other than English. Virginia is one of only three states to disenfranchise people with felony convictions unless a governor steps in to restore their rights on a case-by-case basis. In 2016, Terry McAuliffe, the former governor and a Democrat, tried to issue a similar executive order restoring the rights of 200,000 formerly incarcerated Virginians. He was blocked by the courts but eventually restored the rights of about 173,000 people, one by one, the biggest mass voting rights restoration of any governor in history. It is not clear whether opponents of Northam’s policy will try to keep the order from being implemented or whether it will pass muster before courts. But Northam and legislative leaders hope it never gets to that point — they want to enshrine the changes in the state’s constitution. That will take time. Earlier this year, the state’s General Assembly approved a constitutional amendment that would restore the civil rights to people upon completion of their sentence of incarceration, but it must be passed again, in the 2022 session, before being presented to the public as a voter referendum. Northam, who is restricted by the state’s constitution from serving consecutive terms, basked in the praise of civil rights groups and his fellow Democrats for his order. It was a remarkable turnaround from two years earlier, when many in his party called for his resignation in the wake of a report that he had appeared in blackface at a party when he was in medical school.

Virginia’s governor restores voting rights to former inmates

The U.S. government is evaluating whether to house unaccompanied migrant children at a military base in Virginia amid a sharp rise in migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notice seen by Reuters.

A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that Fort Lee, a U.S. Army facility about 30 miles (48 km) south of Richmond, was under consideration.

The number of migrant children arriving at the southwestern border has increased in recent months, putting pressure on HHS-run shelters that house the children before they are released to parents or other sponsors in the United States.

In the notice, HHS said it urgently needs to find more shelter space for unaccompanied minors. The department said it must "aggressively" find solutions for the rising number of children entering the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of migrants caught crossing the border and allowed to enter the United States has increased in recent weeks, as U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has pledged to reverse many of the hardline policies of former President Donald Trump, a Republican.

U.S. officials are hurrying to find housing and speed up releases of a growing number of unaccompanied children arriving at the border after Biden exempted them in February from a Trump-era policy known as Title 42. That policy, issued on COVID-19-related public health grounds, allows U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrants caught at the border.

Under U.S. law, children under the age of 18 caught crossing the border without a parent or legal guardian are labeled "unaccompanied" and must be transferred from Border Patrol facilities to HHS shelters within 72 hours.

The law outlines separate procedures for children from Mexico and Canada that allow them to be more easily removed from the country.

Most children arriving without a parent or legal guardian are from Mexico and Central America.

The United States has used military bases to house unaccompanied children during previous spikes in arrivals, including during a surge of unaccompanied minors in 2014 under former President Barack Obama.

The Biden administration also plans to convert two family detention centers in Texas into facilities that would quickly process incoming migrant families and allow them to be released within 72 hours pending the outcome of their cases, according to two people familiar with the plan.

HHS said that as of March 4 the agency had 7,700 unaccompanied minors in custody, the highest level since 2019. As of last week, it had roughly 7,700 beds available.

Unaccompanied children come to the United States to reunite with family members or escape violence and poverty in their home countries, according to experts. In some cases, children arrive at the border with an adult, such as a relative or family friend, but are deemed "unaccompanied" because they are traveling without a parent or legal guardian.

The U.S. government is evaluating whether to house unaccompanied migrant children at a military base in Virginia amid a sharp rise in migrants arriving at the U.

The U.S. government is evaluating whether to house unaccompanied migrant children at a military base in Virginia amid a sharp rise in migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notice seen by Reuters. A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that Fort Lee, a U.S. Army facility about 30 miles (48 km) south of Richmond, was under consideration. The number of migrant children arriving at the southwestern border has increased in recent months, putting pressure on HHS-run shelters that house the children before they are released to parents or other sponsors in the United States. In the notice, HHS said it urgently needs to find more shelter space for unaccompanied minors. The department said it must "aggressively" find solutions for the rising number of children entering the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of migrants caught crossing the border and allowed to enter the United States has increased in recent weeks, as U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has pledged to reverse many of the hardline policies of former President Donald Trump, a Republican. U.S. officials are hurrying to find housing and speed up releases of a growing number of unaccompanied children arriving at the border after Biden exempted them in February from a Trump-era policy known as Title 42. That policy, issued on COVID-19-related public health grounds, allows U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrants caught at the border. Under U.S. law, children under the age of 18 caught crossing the border without a parent or legal guardian are labeled "unaccompanied" and must be transferred from Border Patrol facilities to HHS shelters within 72 hours. The law outlines separate procedures for children from Mexico and Canada that allow them to be more easily removed from the country. Most children arriving without a parent or legal guardian are from Mexico and Central America. The United States has used military bases to house unaccompanied children during previous spikes in arrivals, including during a surge of unaccompanied minors in 2014 under former President Barack Obama. The Biden administration also plans to convert two family detention centers in Texas into facilities that would quickly process incoming migrant families and allow them to be released within 72 hours pending the outcome of their cases, according to two people familiar with the plan. HHS said that as of March 4 the agency had 7,700 unaccompanied minors in custody, the highest level since 2019. As of last week, it had roughly 7,700 beds available. Unaccompanied children come to the United States to reunite with family members or escape violence and poverty in their home countries, according to experts. In some cases, children arrive at the border with an adult, such as a relative or family friend, but are deemed "unaccompanied" because they are traveling without a parent or legal guardian.

US considering use of Virginia military base to house migrant children

Hair loss is a common side effect of a cancer treatment which often results as a side effect of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. However, this hair loss has not stopped this Virginia based designer, a cancer survivor herself who has now successfully launched a head-scarf business to help women undergoing cancer treatment.

Virginia-based designer, a cancer survivor launches head-scarf business

On Monday, dozens of armed demonstrators gathered at the Richmond, Virginia putting authorities on high alert at Capitals across the United States.

Heavily armed, rival groups rally in Virginia has cops on high alert

Police stopped a car of Black men and confiscated two of their guns at Virginia’s annual “Lobby Day” on Monday while white gun rights activists defied local laws unimpeded in the state capital of Richmond.

In a day with racial tensions on display, Black protesters denounced what they called a double standard in a state where people are free to openly carry firearms.

Virginians converge on the capitol each Lobby Day to petition state legislators on issues of public interest, but the day has been dominated by gun rights activists in recent years. It coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which honors the slain civil rights hero.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-laughs-at-us-crumbling-democracy-amid-fears-of-riots-during-bidens-inauguration-357741" hreflang="en">Iran laughs at US' crumbling democracy amid fears of riots during inauguration</a>

Reuters witnessed the police stop of the African Americans, which stood in contrast to dozens of white pro-gun activists on foot and in hundreds of trucks that drove through Richmond’s streets flying “Guns Save Lives” flags without police interceding.

They were stopped one block from Richmond’s memorial to Confederate General Robert E. Lee, less than an hour after a white, anti-government “boogaloo” leader boasted on a megaphone that his group was violating gun and ammunition laws.

One of the Black men to have handguns confiscated unleashed an expletive-laden complaint, calling it a double-standard and an example of why many African Americans resent the police.

“Everybody in the city is carrying today, and you’re only pulling us over,” yelled a Black woman who was looking on with a group of enraged bystanders. “Shoutout to Martin Luther King Day!”

Richmond police did not immediately respond to a Reuters query about the incident and about the protesters’ allegation of discrimination. On Twitter, police said they had issued a summons to one man at that scene for possessing a concealed firearm without a permit, and had confiscated the gun.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/washington-on-high-alert-ahead-of-biden-inauguration-357513">WATCH|</a>

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This year’s Lobby Day took place in a highly polarized climate, coming shortly after supporters of President Donald Trump seized the U.S. Capitol and after a year in which anti-racist and white nationalist demonstrators clashed at demonstrations across the United States.

Authorities were on high alert in Richmond, about 110 miles (175 km) south of Washington, D.C., where Democratic President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in on Wednesday, replacing the Republican Trump.

Windows at the statehouse were boarded up, the public entrance was fenced off, and police patrolled the grounds.

But only dozens of protesters assembled on Monday, compared to last year’s crowd of 22,000, as estimated by police.

Similarly, nationwide pro-Trump demonstrations on Sunday largely fizzled after several states deployed the National Guard.

About an hour before the Black men were pulled over, boogaloo leader Mike Dunn hoisted a megaphone alongside about 10 members of his “Last Sons of Liberty” group, all white men.

Dunn told the assembled reporters and police that his group was openly carrying semiautomatic rifles “in pure defiance” of local laws, and “rocking mags (ammunition magazines) with double the legal limit.”

Dunn confirmed to Reuters that his group faced no police blowback.

City law allows police to ban openly carrying guns at large public events, but they did not intervene against most gun owners on Monday.

“Virginia is and remains an open carry state,” Richmond police said in a statement.

The demonstrators, including boogaloos sporting their trademark Hawaiian shirts, Proud Boys, and about 20 members of two Black self-defense groups were outnumbered by reporters.

Despite being united in their support for gun rights, racial tensions were visible.

Members of the Black Lives Matter 757 and Original Black Panthers of VA were talking to reporters near the Richmond statehouse when a group of Proud Boys walked by flashing the “OK” hand gesture commonly used as a white power sign.

Police stopped a car of Black men and confiscated two of their guns at Virginia’s annual “Lobby Day” on Monday while white gun rights activists defied local laws unimpeded in the state capital of Richmond.

Police stopped a car of Black men and confiscated two of their guns at Virginia’s annual “Lobby Day” on Monday while white gun rights activists defied local laws unimpeded in the state capital of Richmond. In a day with racial tensions on display, Black protesters denounced what they called a double standard in a state where people are free to openly carry firearms. Virginians converge on the capitol each Lobby Day to petition state legislators on issues of public interest, but the day has been dominated by gun rights activists in recent years. It coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which honors the slain civil rights hero. Also read| Iran laughs at US' crumbling democracy amid fears of riots during inauguration Reuters witnessed the police stop of the African Americans, which stood in contrast to dozens of white pro-gun activists on foot and in hundreds of trucks that drove through Richmond’s streets flying “Guns Save Lives” flags without police interceding. They were stopped one block from Richmond’s memorial to Confederate General Robert E. Lee, less than an hour after a white, anti-government “boogaloo” leader boasted on a megaphone that his group was violating gun and ammunition laws. One of the Black men to have handguns confiscated unleashed an expletive-laden complaint, calling it a double-standard and an example of why many African Americans resent the police. “Everybody in the city is carrying today, and you’re only pulling us over,” yelled a Black woman who was looking on with a group of enraged bystanders. “Shoutout to Martin Luther King Day!” Richmond police did not immediately respond to a Reuters query about the incident and about the protesters’ allegation of discrimination. On Twitter, police said they had issued a summons to one man at that scene for possessing a concealed firearm without a permit, and had confiscated the gun. WATCH| This year’s Lobby Day took place in a highly polarized climate, coming shortly after supporters of President Donald Trump seized the U.S. Capitol and after a year in which anti-racist and white nationalist demonstrators clashed at demonstrations across the United States. Authorities were on high alert in Richmond, about 110 miles (175 km) south of Washington, D.C., where Democratic President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in on Wednesday, replacing the Republican Trump. Windows at the statehouse were boarded up, the public entrance was fenced off, and police patrolled the grounds. But only dozens of protesters assembled on Monday, compared to last year’s crowd of 22,000, as estimated by police. Similarly, nationwide pro-Trump demonstrations on Sunday largely fizzled after several states deployed the National Guard. About an hour before the Black men were pulled over, boogaloo leader Mike Dunn hoisted a megaphone alongside about 10 members of his “Last Sons of Liberty” group, all white men. Dunn told the assembled reporters and police that his group was openly carrying semiautomatic rifles “in pure defiance” of local laws, and “rocking mags (ammunition magazines) with double the legal limit.” Dunn confirmed to Reuters that his group faced no police blowback. City law allows police to ban openly carrying guns at large public events, but they did not intervene against most gun owners on Monday. “Virginia is and remains an open carry state,” Richmond police said in a statement. The demonstrators, including boogaloos sporting their trademark Hawaiian shirts, Proud Boys, and about 20 members of two Black self-defense groups were outnumbered by reporters. Despite being united in their support for gun rights, racial tensions were visible. Members of the Black Lives Matter 757 and Original Black Panthers of VA were talking to reporters near the Richmond statehouse when a group of Proud Boys walked by flashing the “OK” hand gesture commonly used as a white power sign.

Police seize firearms from Black men at Virginia rally for gun rights

A blast and a large fire injured at least five in Virginia (USA) on Saturday morning (local time). The blast took place in a shopping center in Harrisonburg in Virginia. Cause of the blast is yet unknown and an investigation is underway. Ralph Northam, Governor of Virginia was quoted by media as saying that the fire was due to a gas explosion, Harrisonburg Fire Chief Matt Tobia told reporters that cause of the fire was still being ascertained.

Soon after the blast, locals posted videos on Twitter

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Harrisonburg VA fire and explosion appear to be contained now. Ugly scene, explosion heard and felt miles away <a href="https://t.co/vs3r6BxHaH">pic.twitter.com/vs3r6BxHaH</a>
— Josh Edmonds (@joshdedmonds) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshdedmonds/status/1317463342773116928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Harrisonburg is a city of around 50,000 that is home to James Madison University. The university said in its Facebook statement that three of its students were injured due to fire. It added that the injuries were minor. The students, said the university, were part of its US Army ROTC program and were taking part in the ten mile run at the time of the blast. One of the student was hospitalised but was expected to be discharged quickly.

Locals living nearby told TV station WHSV that the blast shook their homes.

A blast and a large fire injured at least five in Virginia (USA) on Saturday morning (local time). The blast took place in a shopping center in Harrisonburg in Virginia.

A blast and a large fire injured at least five in Virginia (USA) on Saturday morning (local time). The blast took place in a shopping center in Harrisonburg in Virginia. Cause of the blast is yet unknown and an investigation is underway. Ralph Northam, Governor of Virginia was quoted by media as saying that the fire was due to a gas explosion, Harrisonburg Fire Chief Matt Tobia told reporters that cause of the fire was still being ascertained. Soon after the blast, locals posted videos on Twitter Harrisonburg VA fire and explosion appear to be contained now. Ugly scene, explosion heard and felt miles away pic.twitter.com/vs3r6BxHaH — Josh Edmonds (@joshdedmonds) October 17, 2020 × Harrisonburg is a city of around 50,000 that is home to James Madison University. The university said in its Facebook statement that three of its students were injured due to fire. It added that the injuries were minor. The students, said the university, were part of its US Army ROTC program and were taking part in the ten mile run at the time of the blast. One of the student was hospitalised but was expected to be discharged quickly. Locals living nearby told TV station WHSV that the blast shook their homes.

US: At least 5 injured in blast, fire at Virginia shopping mall

The United States of America has arrested 2 Chinese researchers. Both researchers have been charged with data theft of trade secrets. Arrests have been made in Virginia & California.

2 Chinese researchers charged with data theft of trade secrets in US

The state of Virginia has announced to remove one of the country’s most iconic monuments to the Confederacy, a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee along Richmond’s prominent Monument Avenue.

White supremacy vs civil rights activists: Confederacy statue to be removed

Restaurants are turning to new delivery methods as quarantine continues with robots filling in some roles to increase distance between people.

Automated delivery drives restaurant changes during pandemic

January 15 in History: From first Indian commander-in-chief to US flight 1549 lands in New York City’s Hudson River

35 people were hurt in a 63-vehicle, chain-reaction crash on a foggy and icy stretch of a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/miss-america-2020-bio-chemist-camille-schrier-performs-science-experiment-in-talent-round-wins-the-crown-269353">Virginia</a> highway early on Sunday, state police said.

All westbound lanes of Interstate 64 in York County, Virginia, about 80 km&nbsp;southeast of Richmond, remained closed Sunday afternoon as authorities worked at the scene of the pileup, which began shortly before 8 AM. EST, the Virginia State Police said on Twitter.

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UPDATE: All EASTBOUND lanes have reopened on I-64 at the Queens Creek bridge in <a href="https://twitter.com/YorkCountyVAGov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YorkCountyVAGov</a>. All WESTBOUND lanes remain closed at this time. Traffic being detoured to Route 199 (exit 242). <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hrtraffic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hrtraffic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VaDOT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VaDOT</a>
— VDOT Hampton Roads (@VaDOTHR) <a href="https://twitter.com/VaDOTHR/status/1208782959270076416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Fog and icy conditions were present on the road at the time of the accident, police said in a tweet.

"#VSP investigation continues into 63-vehicle chain-reaction&nbsp;crashes," the police tweeted. "35 transported for treatment. No fatalities reported."

The injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening, the police tweeted.

Video footage of the scene showed a sea of cars that had collided with one another or the interstate barricade, some with their doors, trunks and bumpers mangled.

A representative for the state police could not immediately be reached for comment.

35 people were hurt in a 63-vehicle, chain-reaction crash on a foggy and icy stretch of a Virginia highway early on Sunday, state police said. All westbound lanes of Interstate 64 in York County, Virginia, about 80 km southeast of Richmond, remained closed Sunday afternoon as authorities worked at the scene of the pileup, which began shortly before 8 AM.

35 people were hurt in a 63-vehicle, chain-reaction crash on a foggy and icy stretch of a Virginia highway early on Sunday, state police said. All westbound lanes of Interstate 64 in York County, Virginia, about 80 km southeast of Richmond, remained closed Sunday afternoon as authorities worked at the scene of the pileup, which began shortly before 8 AM. EST, the Virginia State Police said on Twitter. UPDATE: All EASTBOUND lanes have reopened on I-64 at the Queens Creek bridge in @YorkCountyVAGov. All WESTBOUND lanes remain closed at this time. Traffic being detoured to Route 199 (exit 242). #hrtraffic @VaDOT — VDOT Hampton Roads (@VaDOTHR) December 22, 2019 × Fog and icy conditions were present on the road at the time of the accident, police said in a tweet. "#VSP investigation continues into 63-vehicle chain-reaction crashes," the police tweeted. "35 transported for treatment. No fatalities reported." The injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening, the police tweeted. Video footage of the scene showed a sea of cars that had collided with one another or the interstate barricade, some with their doors, trunks and bumpers mangled. A representative for the state police could not immediately be reached for comment.

35 people injured in 63-vehicle pileup on Virginia highway

The United States <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nearly-150-million-people-sweltering-through-deadly-us-heatwave-237355">sweltered in dangerously hot weather</a> on Sunday, with major cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington broiling in temperatures that rose into triple digits.

An oppressive heatwave stretching from the Midwestern plains to the Atlantic coast had nearly 150 million people struggling to stay cool in stifling heat that set records in a handful of states.

By Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) said the high temperatures would soon be over, but the severe weather would continue.

"The dangerous heat wave which enveloped much of the Midwest to the East Coast this weekend should finally break by Monday as a cold front drops southward," the agency said.

However, it warned that "showers and thunderstorms... with heavy to excessive rainfall and severe weather possible" were expected across a swath of the east coast, and flash floods were a risk.&nbsp;

Around 95 million people were under a heat warning or advisory for Sunday, down from Saturday's 157 million.

Earlier in the day, the NWS said "numerous stations" stretching from Massachusetts in the north to North Carolina in the south "were reporting heat index values between 100-110" degrees, with the highest values found in the southeast of the state of Virginia.

Authorities urged people on Sunday to stay hydrated, watch out for the sick and elderly, stay inside as much as possible and not leave children or animals in cars.

"We're almost near the end of the heat emergency. Temperatures will start to go back down tonight," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted, asking the city's residents to "keep hydrated and keep cool."

The NWS said it had recorded all-time high temperatures on Saturday in seven places in the US including Manchester, New Hampshire, Atlantic City, New Jersey and New York's JFK airport.

US media has blamed the heatwave for at least six deaths, including a hiker who had been found unconscious on a trail outside Washington on Saturday and two people who died earlier in the week in the eastern state of Maryland.&nbsp;

In Arkansas, 32-year-old former NFL player Mitch Petrus died of heatstroke Thursday after working outside his family's shop.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-welcomes-construction-of-kartarpur-corridor-236559">New York City</a> Triathlon, which had been scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled for the first time since its founding in 2001.

Life Time, which produces the race, donated more than 12 tons of water and Gatorade Endurance drink meant for competitors to be distributed to New Yorkers in need, CBS reported.

Meanwhile, the two-day OZY Fest a food, comedy and music festival set for Central Park was also called off.&nbsp;

In Washington, a popular weekly outdoor summer jazz concert at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden was cancelled.

'Deadly conditions'&nbsp;

"Sunday has been cancelled. Stay indoors, nothing to see here. We got this," The New York City Police Department wrote on Twitter.

The city had opened 500 cooling centres for residents.

At least three public defenders said on Twitter that inmates in New York's notorious Rikers Island jail complex were suffering from no air conditioning and that some guards had turned off fans as punishment, resulting in "deadly conditions."&nbsp;

The Brooklyn Defender Services legal aid group said some inmates didn't have summer clothing, only long underwear provided by the group last winter.

Top officials from the city's Department of Corrections were at the facility monitoring the response to the heatwave to "protect health and safety of everyone in the facility," de Blasio wrote on Twitter.&nbsp;

The department said in a statement to AFP that extra staff were on hand to distribute summer clothing, and clinics were open around the clock to treat heat-related symptoms.&nbsp;

Those in units without air conditioning were given access to fans, ice, water and "multiple cool showers."

Earlier in the week, the National Weather Service office in the Midwestern city of Omaha baked a tray of biscuits savoury breakfast bread similar to scones on the dashboard of a parked car.&nbsp;

After nearly eight hours and with temperatures in the pan reaching 185 degrees, the pastries were almost fully cooked.

Climate data showed June was the hottest month on record worldwide, with a heatwave across Europe smashing national records.

The United States sweltered in dangerously hot weather on Sunday, with major cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington broiling in temperatures that rose into triple digits.

The United States sweltered in dangerously hot weather on Sunday, with major cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington broiling in temperatures that rose into triple digits. An oppressive heatwave stretching from the Midwestern plains to the Atlantic coast had nearly 150 million people struggling to stay cool in stifling heat that set records in a handful of states. By Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) said the high temperatures would soon be over, but the severe weather would continue. "The dangerous heat wave which enveloped much of the Midwest to the East Coast this weekend should finally break by Monday as a cold front drops southward," the agency said. However, it warned that "showers and thunderstorms... with heavy to excessive rainfall and severe weather possible" were expected across a swath of the east coast, and flash floods were a risk. Around 95 million people were under a heat warning or advisory for Sunday, down from Saturday's 157 million. Earlier in the day, the NWS said "numerous stations" stretching from Massachusetts in the north to North Carolina in the south "were reporting heat index values between 100-110" degrees, with the highest values found in the southeast of the state of Virginia. Authorities urged people on Sunday to stay hydrated, watch out for the sick and elderly, stay inside as much as possible and not leave children or animals in cars. "We're almost near the end of the heat emergency. Temperatures will start to go back down tonight," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted, asking the city's residents to "keep hydrated and keep cool." The NWS said it had recorded all-time high temperatures on Saturday in seven places in the US including Manchester, New Hampshire, Atlantic City, New Jersey and New York's JFK airport. US media has blamed the heatwave for at least six deaths, including a hiker who had been found unconscious on a trail outside Washington on Saturday and two people who died earlier in the week in the eastern state of Maryland. In Arkansas, 32-year-old former NFL player Mitch Petrus died of heatstroke Thursday after working outside his family's shop. The New York City Triathlon, which had been scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled for the first time since its founding in 2001. Life Time, which produces the race, donated more than 12 tons of water and Gatorade Endurance drink meant for competitors to be distributed to New Yorkers in need, CBS reported. Meanwhile, the two-day OZY Fest a food, comedy and music festival set for Central Park was also called off. In Washington, a popular weekly outdoor summer jazz concert at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden was cancelled. 'Deadly conditions' "Sunday has been cancelled. Stay indoors, nothing to see here. We got this," The New York City Police Department wrote on Twitter. The city had opened 500 cooling centres for residents. At least three public defenders said on Twitter that inmates in New York's notorious Rikers Island jail complex were suffering from no air conditioning and that some guards had turned off fans as punishment, resulting in "deadly conditions." The Brooklyn Defender Services legal aid group said some inmates didn't have summer clothing, only long underwear provided by the group last winter. Top officials from the city's Department of Corrections were at the facility monitoring the response to the heatwave to "protect health and safety of everyone in the facility," de Blasio wrote on Twitter. The department said in a statement to AFP that extra staff were on hand to distribute summer clothing, and clinics were open around the clock to treat heat-related symptoms. Those in units without air conditioning were given access to fans, ice, water and "multiple cool showers." Earlier in the week, the National Weather Service office in the Midwestern city of Omaha baked a tray of biscuits savoury breakfast bread similar to scones on the dashboard of a parked car. After nearly eight hours and with temperatures in the pan reaching 185 degrees, the pastries were almost fully cooked. Climate data showed June was the hottest month on record worldwide, with a heatwave across Europe smashing national records.

US heatwave: High temperatures soon be over, severe weather would continue, says National Weather Service

In a court case that could further strain <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkish-president-recep-tayyip-erdogan-says-trump-can-waive-sanctions-on-turkey-report-236013">American relations with Turkey</a> and weigh on the sentencing of former US national security adviser Michael Flynn, a criminal trial began on Monday involving a former Iranian-American business partner of Flynn.

Bijan Rafiekian's trial in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, turns on whether he conspired to lobby on Turkey's behalf to try to persuade the US government to extradite Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Turkey for a failed coup in July 2016.

"During the summer and fall of 2016, the defendant has acted as an agent to advance one of Turkey's most important foreign policy goals," one US&nbsp;prosecutor said in his opening statement, adding that was to help support Ankara's goal in seeking the extradition of Gulen from the United States.

Flynn, a retired US Army lieutenant general whose brief tenure in 2017 as part of President Donald Trump's inner circle is still causing legal aftershocks, is not charged as a co-conspirator with Rafiekian. But the case could influence how US District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan sentences Flynn later this year in Washington.

Flynn had previously agreed to cooperate with US prosecutors and testify against Rafiekian, known as "Kian," in hopes of getting a lighter sentence after he pleaded guilty in December 2017 to having lied to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators about his contacts with Russian officials.

In a reversal earlier this month, Flynn and prosecutors had a falling out and Flynn backed away from earlier admissions of making false statements to the US Justice Department in the paperwork that disclosed his work as a Turkish government lobbyist.

Flynn now contends he relied on attorneys' advice when filing the lobbying paperwork with the Justice Department and that he did not knowingly file false information.

STRAINED TIES

Rafiekian faces two criminal counts of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, making false statements to the Justice Department and acting as a foreign agent. His former client, Turkish-Dutch national Ekim Alptekin, is also charged.

The trial, which began on the third anniversary of Turkey's failed coup that killed 251 people and wounded more than 1,500, has implications for already strained ties between Ankara and Washington.

US prosecutors are aiming to build a case showing Rafiekian and Alptekin acted with direction from the Turkish government and did not disclose their lobbying campaign to return Gulen, a shadowy figure who lives in a fortified compound in Pennsylvania, to Turkey.

The Turkish government has denied engaging in a conspiracy to evade US regulations requiring foreign government lobbyists to register with the Justice Department.

"The idea that we would conspire against the United States is preposterous. ... We categorically reject any accusation of wrongdoing or illegal conduct in the United States," Fahrettin Altun, spokesman for the Turkish presidency, said in a statement over the weekend.

Lawyers for Rafiekian denied the allegations. "Bijan never conspired with anyone, never ever sought to avoid US regulations, never conspired to serve as an agent of a foreign government," his attorney, Bob Trout, said in his opening statements.

Government lawyers now no longer plan to call Flynn as a star witness in the Rafiekian case, although they may end up calling Flynn's son, Michael G. Flynn, who worked for Flynn's lobbying firm, known as the Flynn Intel Group. Defence lawyers for Rafiekian have listed the elder Flynn as a possible star witness in the case.

The US government is expected to call five witnesses on Tuesday, prosecutors said. Michael G. Flynn was not one of them.

Flynn was due to be sentenced in December 2018, but his sentence was delayed after Judge Sullivan lambasted him for selling his country out to Russia and urged him to complete his cooperation with government prosecutors.

In a court case that could further strain American relations with Turkey and weigh on the sentencing of former US national security adviser Michael Flynn, a criminal trial began on Monday involving a former Iranian-American business partner of Flynn.

In a court case that could further strain American relations with Turkey and weigh on the sentencing of former US national security adviser Michael Flynn, a criminal trial began on Monday involving a former Iranian-American business partner of Flynn. Bijan Rafiekian's trial in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, turns on whether he conspired to lobby on Turkey's behalf to try to persuade the US government to extradite Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Turkey for a failed coup in July 2016. "During the summer and fall of 2016, the defendant has acted as an agent to advance one of Turkey's most important foreign policy goals," one US prosecutor said in his opening statement, adding that was to help support Ankara's goal in seeking the extradition of Gulen from the United States. Flynn, a retired US Army lieutenant general whose brief tenure in 2017 as part of President Donald Trump's inner circle is still causing legal aftershocks, is not charged as a co-conspirator with Rafiekian. But the case could influence how US District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan sentences Flynn later this year in Washington. Flynn had previously agreed to cooperate with US prosecutors and testify against Rafiekian, known as "Kian," in hopes of getting a lighter sentence after he pleaded guilty in December 2017 to having lied to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators about his contacts with Russian officials. In a reversal earlier this month, Flynn and prosecutors had a falling out and Flynn backed away from earlier admissions of making false statements to the US Justice Department in the paperwork that disclosed his work as a Turkish government lobbyist. Flynn now contends he relied on attorneys' advice when filing the lobbying paperwork with the Justice Department and that he did not knowingly file false information. STRAINED TIES Rafiekian faces two criminal counts of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, making false statements to the Justice Department and acting as a foreign agent. His former client, Turkish-Dutch national Ekim Alptekin, is also charged. The trial, which began on the third anniversary of Turkey's failed coup that killed 251 people and wounded more than 1,500, has implications for already strained ties between Ankara and Washington. US prosecutors are aiming to build a case showing Rafiekian and Alptekin acted with direction from the Turkish government and did not disclose their lobbying campaign to return Gulen, a shadowy figure who lives in a fortified compound in Pennsylvania, to Turkey. The Turkish government has denied engaging in a conspiracy to evade US regulations requiring foreign government lobbyists to register with the Justice Department. "The idea that we would conspire against the United States is preposterous. ... We categorically reject any accusation of wrongdoing or illegal conduct in the United States," Fahrettin Altun, spokesman for the Turkish presidency, said in a statement over the weekend. Lawyers for Rafiekian denied the allegations. "Bijan never conspired with anyone, never ever sought to avoid US regulations, never conspired to serve as an agent of a foreign government," his attorney, Bob Trout, said in his opening statements. Government lawyers now no longer plan to call Flynn as a star witness in the Rafiekian case, although they may end up calling Flynn's son, Michael G. Flynn, who worked for Flynn's lobbying firm, known as the Flynn Intel Group. Defence lawyers for Rafiekian have listed the elder Flynn as a possible star witness in the case. The US government is expected to call five witnesses on Tuesday, prosecutors said. Michael G. Flynn was not one of them. Flynn was due to be sentenced in December 2018, but his sentence was delayed after Judge Sullivan lambasted him for selling his country out to Russia and urged him to complete his cooperation with government prosecutors.

Trial begins with high stakes for United States-Turkey ties, ex-Trump adviser Michael Flynn

A disgruntled public utility employee opened fire with a handgun on co-workers at a municipal building in Virginia on Friday afternoon, killing 12 people and wounding at least four before he was fatally shot by police, authorities said.

The mass shooting in the coastal resort of Virginia Beach was the deadliest instance of US gun violence since November 2018, when a dozen people were slain at a Los Angeles-area bar and grill by a gunman who then killed himself.

Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said the suspect in Friday's carnage was armed with a .45-caliber pistol equipped with a "sound suppressor" device and "extended" ammunition magazines he used to reload repeatedly during the attack.

Survivors recounted scenes of pandemonium and fear that erupted as gunshots rang out, and workers scurried frantically for cover.

"We just heard people yelling and screaming to get down," Megan Banton, a public utilities worker, told television station WAVY-TV, recalling that she and co-workers barricaded themselves in their office.

"We put the desk up against the door because we didn't know if they were coming in. We were just hoping that it would be over soon, and then we heard the cops yelling up the steps." &nbsp;

The first victim was shot in a vehicle outside the public works and utilities building at the city municipal centre before the suspect entered that building and "immediately and indiscriminately fired upon all the victims," Cervera said.

The chief said the suspect engaged in a "long-term gun battle" with four police officers who confronted him inside, preventing the gunman from "committing more carnage in that building."

One officer was wounded in the shootout, but his bullet-proof vest saved his life, Cervera said. Authorities said the gunman ultimately was shot by police and was declared dead at a hospital.

'More questions than answers'

Cervera said the suspect was a longtime public utilities employee, and described him as "disgruntled," but declined to say more about what may have precipitated the attack.

"We have more questions than we really have answers," he told reporters about two hours after the shooting.

The shooting was believed to be the deadliest act of workplace gun violence in the United States since February, when a factory worker shot five colleagues to death in Aurora, Illinois, just after he was let go from his job.

Authorities have determined the suspect's identity but are not ready to make the name public, Cervera said.

"We will release his name once," the chief said. "Then he will be forever referred to as 'the suspect,' because our focus now is on the dignity and respect of the victims and their families."

The bloodshed unfolded, according to police, at Building Two of the municipal centre complex, where office space for more than 400 employees houses information technology, public works, planning and utilities departments next door to City Hall.

The complex lies several miles inland from the town's popular seashore, situated on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Southeast Virginia's most populous city has roughly 450,000 year-round residents.

"This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach," Mayor Bobby Dyer said at a news conference with the police chief. "The people involved are our friends, co-workers, neighbours, colleagues."

Arriving in town a short time after the shooting, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said: "This is just a horrific day."

"Our hearts ache for victims of the senseless violence that has been inflicted on the community," he told a news conference hours later.

In Washington, a White House spokesman said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting and "continues to monitor the situation."

A disgruntled public utility employee opened fire with a handgun on co-workers at a municipal building in Virginia on Friday afternoon, killing 12 people and wounding at least four before he was fatally shot by police, authorities said.

A disgruntled public utility employee opened fire with a handgun on co-workers at a municipal building in Virginia on Friday afternoon, killing 12 people and wounding at least four before he was fatally shot by police, authorities said. The mass shooting in the coastal resort of Virginia Beach was the deadliest instance of US gun violence since November 2018, when a dozen people were slain at a Los Angeles-area bar and grill by a gunman who then killed himself. Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said the suspect in Friday's carnage was armed with a .45-caliber pistol equipped with a "sound suppressor" device and "extended" ammunition magazines he used to reload repeatedly during the attack. Survivors recounted scenes of pandemonium and fear that erupted as gunshots rang out, and workers scurried frantically for cover. "We just heard people yelling and screaming to get down," Megan Banton, a public utilities worker, told television station WAVY-TV, recalling that she and co-workers barricaded themselves in their office. "We put the desk up against the door because we didn't know if they were coming in. We were just hoping that it would be over soon, and then we heard the cops yelling up the steps." The first victim was shot in a vehicle outside the public works and utilities building at the city municipal centre before the suspect entered that building and "immediately and indiscriminately fired upon all the victims," Cervera said. The chief said the suspect engaged in a "long-term gun battle" with four police officers who confronted him inside, preventing the gunman from "committing more carnage in that building." One officer was wounded in the shootout, but his bullet-proof vest saved his life, Cervera said. Authorities said the gunman ultimately was shot by police and was declared dead at a hospital. 'More questions than answers' Cervera said the suspect was a longtime public utilities employee, and described him as "disgruntled," but declined to say more about what may have precipitated the attack. "We have more questions than we really have answers," he told reporters about two hours after the shooting. The shooting was believed to be the deadliest act of workplace gun violence in the United States since February, when a factory worker shot five colleagues to death in Aurora, Illinois, just after he was let go from his job. Authorities have determined the suspect's identity but are not ready to make the name public, Cervera said. "We will release his name once," the chief said. "Then he will be forever referred to as 'the suspect,' because our focus now is on the dignity and respect of the victims and their families." The bloodshed unfolded, according to police, at Building Two of the municipal centre complex, where office space for more than 400 employees houses information technology, public works, planning and utilities departments next door to City Hall. The complex lies several miles inland from the town's popular seashore, situated on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Southeast Virginia's most populous city has roughly 450,000 year-round residents. "This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach," Mayor Bobby Dyer said at a news conference with the police chief. "The people involved are our friends, co-workers, neighbours, colleagues." Arriving in town a short time after the shooting, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said: "This is just a horrific day." "Our hearts ache for victims of the senseless violence that has been inflicted on the community," he told a news conference hours later. In Washington, a White House spokesman said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting and "continues to monitor the situation."

12 killed in mass shooting at government building in Virginia Beach

At least 12 people were killed and several injured on Friday in a mass shooting at a government building in the US state of Virginia.

11 people killed in mass shooting in US government building

We talked with Mr. Walter Andersen, Author & Academician from Virginia over Indian Lok Sabha Election 2019. Watch this exclusive talk.

LS Polls 2019: Watch exclusive talk with Mr. Walter Andersen, Author & Academician from Virginia

Amazon.com Inc's plan to set up a second headquarters in northern Virginia, after being rebuffed in New York, will face its first test when local officials vote on Saturday on a proposed financial package worth an estimated $51 million.

Amazon in November picked National Landing, a site jointly owned by Arlington County and the City of Alexandria, just outside of Washington, along with New York for its so-called HQ2 or second headquarters. That followed a year-long search in which hundreds of municipalities, ranging from Newark, New Jersey, to Indianapolis, competed for the coveted tax-dollars and high-wage jobs the project promises.

Amazon in February abruptly scrapped plans to build part of its second headquarters in New York after opposition from local leaders, who were upset by incentives promised by state and city politicians. 
 
While the opposition in Arlington is still nascent, the vote has become a political flashpoint between the project's supporters and activist opponents. It has given local activists the chance to push for a delay so that the county's proposal can be reviewed and debated further.

A five-member panel of the Arlington County Board will vote on whether Amazon will receive the estimated $51 million, a fraction of the $481 million promised by the county. Only 5 percent of the incentives are direct. 
 
Amazon has also been offered a $750 million package by the state that the Virginia General Assembly approved with little opposition.

The scene at Saturday's vote is likely to be different. At least 100 members from local activist groups are expected to attend. Protests are expected to begin at least an hour before the vote comes up for hearing at 1 pm EST, Reuters has learned from labor groups. The $51 million includes a controversial direct financial incentive or a cash grant of $23 million to Amazon over 15 years, which will be collected from taxes on Arlington hotel rooms. The grant is contingent upon Amazon occupying six million square feet of office space over the first 16 years.

Arlington has also offered to invest about $28 million over 10 years of future property tax revenue in onsite infrastructure and open space at the headquarters site.

A filing on the county board's website says the $23 million grant and the $28 million in strategic public infrastructure investments were "instrumental in Amazon choosing Arlington for its headquarters."

A county spokesman declined to comment.

Arlington County Chair Christian Dorsey has stated publicly he had 'no interest'&nbsp;in postponing the vote, had heard no suggestions to do so from other board members, and expected the measure to pass.

Amazon's 25,000 new jobs will help offset the more than 34,000 jobs Arlington has lost since 2003 due to federal agency closures and other factors, and help diversify the local economy, company spokeswoman Jill Kerr said. 'Our investment of $2.5 billion will generate more than $3.2 billion in tax revenue which can be used for public services.'

Activists from For Us, Not Amazon, a coalition of nine labor groups and grassroots organizations working in areas such as minority advocacy, are not convinced.

Roshan Abraham, an organizer from Our Revolution Arlington, a coalition member, said his group wants Amazon to engage with the community more, hold public hearings on the company's investments, address rising housing costs, displacement of low-income families near the proposed site and donate to affordable housing funds.

'What we are very concerned about is Amazon has met behind closed doors, at invitation events, but haven't met with the community in a public, accessible way,'&nbsp;he said.

Amazon said it has met with many community leaders and residents, including local businesses, nonprofits, and community and civic associations and will continue to engage with them as it expands its presence in Arlington.

Amazon.com Inc's plan to set up a second headquarters in northern Virginia, after being rebuffed in New York, will face its first test when local officials vote on Saturday on a proposed financial package worth an estimated $51 million.

Amazon.com Inc's plan to set up a second headquarters in northern Virginia, after being rebuffed in New York, will face its first test when local officials vote on Saturday on a proposed financial package worth an estimated $51 million. Amazon in November picked National Landing, a site jointly owned by Arlington County and the City of Alexandria, just outside of Washington, along with New York for its so-called HQ2 or second headquarters. That followed a year-long search in which hundreds of municipalities, ranging from Newark, New Jersey, to Indianapolis, competed for the coveted tax-dollars and high-wage jobs the project promises. Amazon in February abruptly scrapped plans to build part of its second headquarters in New York after opposition from local leaders, who were upset by incentives promised by state and city politicians. While the opposition in Arlington is still nascent, the vote has become a political flashpoint between the project's supporters and activist opponents. It has given local activists the chance to push for a delay so that the county's proposal can be reviewed and debated further. A five-member panel of the Arlington County Board will vote on whether Amazon will receive the estimated $51 million, a fraction of the $481 million promised by the county. Only 5 percent of the incentives are direct. Amazon has also been offered a $750 million package by the state that the Virginia General Assembly approved with little opposition. The scene at Saturday's vote is likely to be different. At least 100 members from local activist groups are expected to attend. Protests are expected to begin at least an hour before the vote comes up for hearing at 1 pm EST, Reuters has learned from labor groups. The $51 million includes a controversial direct financial incentive or a cash grant of $23 million to Amazon over 15 years, which will be collected from taxes on Arlington hotel rooms. The grant is contingent upon Amazon occupying six million square feet of office space over the first 16 years. Arlington has also offered to invest about $28 million over 10 years of future property tax revenue in onsite infrastructure and open space at the headquarters site. A filing on the county board's website says the $23 million grant and the $28 million in strategic public infrastructure investments were "instrumental in Amazon choosing Arlington for its headquarters." A county spokesman declined to comment. Arlington County Chair Christian Dorsey has stated publicly he had 'no interest' in postponing the vote, had heard no suggestions to do so from other board members, and expected the measure to pass. Amazon's 25,000 new jobs will help offset the more than 34,000 jobs Arlington has lost since 2003 due to federal agency closures and other factors, and help diversify the local economy, company spokeswoman Jill Kerr said. 'Our investment of $2.5 billion will generate more than $3.2 billion in tax revenue which can be used for public services.' Activists from For Us, Not Amazon, a coalition of nine labor groups and grassroots organizations working in areas such as minority advocacy, are not convinced. Roshan Abraham, an organizer from Our Revolution Arlington, a coalition member, said his group wants Amazon to engage with the community more, hold public hearings on the company's investments, address rising housing costs, displacement of low-income families near the proposed site and donate to affordable housing funds. 'What we are very concerned about is Amazon has met behind closed doors, at invitation events, but haven't met with the community in a public, accessible way,' he said. Amazon said it has met with many community leaders and residents, including local businesses, nonprofits, and community and civic associations and will continue to engage with them as it expands its presence in Arlington.

Amazon's second headquarters faces new blocks in Virginia funding vote

Embattled Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's political future, and the leadership of his state, remained in limbo on Tuesday amid mounting pressure for him to resign after the revelation of a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page.

The first-term Democrat and former US Army physician has been under fire since a conservative media website on Friday released the photo, showing one person in blackface standing beside a masked individual in the white robes of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan.

Northam, 59, who is white, initially apologized on Friday and said he was one of the two people in the photo. He then changed his story on Saturday, saying he did not appear in the picture but had dressed in blackface at another point that same year to portray pop star Michael Jackson in a dance competition.

The origins of blackface date to 19th-century "minstrel" shows in which white performers covered their faces in black grease paint to caricature slaves.

Northam, who took office a year ago and has vowed to see his four-year-term through to completion, huddled with Cabinet officers on Monday as his political heir apparent, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, confronted a potential scandal of his own.

At a news conference on Monday, Fairfax, 39, denied a sexual assault allegation that was reported against him on the same website that first disclosed the Northam yearbook photo.

The Big League Politics site on Sunday posted a private Facebook message purportedly obtained from the accuser with her permission by a friend suggesting that Fairfax had assaulted her during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. While the Facebook post did not explicitly name Fairfax, the website's story linked him to the allegation.

At a news conference on Monday, Fairfax acknowledged having had a consensual encounter with the woman in 2004 but denied any wrongdoing, adding that "now, years later, we have a totally fabricated story out of the blue to attack me."

At least two media outlets, including the Washington Post, said a woman had approached them more than a year ago with the same allegation, but that they had been unable to substantiate her account.

Fairfax also expressed doubt at what Northam might do next.

"I believe the governor has to make a decision that's in the best interest of the Commonwealth of Virginia," Fairfax told reporters at the capitol.

Asked if he were preparing to possibly assume office as governor, Fairfax replied, "There is a lot of uncertainty right now in our government. But we always have to be ready."

Should Northam resign, Fairfax is in line to become the second African-American governor in the history of Virginia, where his great-great-great grandfather was a slave. The first was Douglas Wilder, a Democrat elected in 1989.

Fairfax would be only the fifth black politician to serve as governor of a U.S. state, dating back to the post-Civil War era of Reconstruction.

Revelation of the yearbook photo and the governor's response to it have drawn calls for his resignation from most elected office holders in Virginia, considered a key swing state in the 2020 presidential race, and many national political figures. At least five Democratic presidential candidates, including US&nbsp;Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, both of whom are black, said Northam had lost the moral authority to lead.

Embattled Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's political future, and the leadership of his state, remained in limbo on Tuesday amid mounting pressure for him to resign after the revelation of a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page.

Embattled Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's political future, and the leadership of his state, remained in limbo on Tuesday amid mounting pressure for him to resign after the revelation of a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page. The first-term Democrat and former US Army physician has been under fire since a conservative media website on Friday released the photo, showing one person in blackface standing beside a masked individual in the white robes of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan. Northam, 59, who is white, initially apologized on Friday and said he was one of the two people in the photo. He then changed his story on Saturday, saying he did not appear in the picture but had dressed in blackface at another point that same year to portray pop star Michael Jackson in a dance competition. The origins of blackface date to 19th-century "minstrel" shows in which white performers covered their faces in black grease paint to caricature slaves. Northam, who took office a year ago and has vowed to see his four-year-term through to completion, huddled with Cabinet officers on Monday as his political heir apparent, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, confronted a potential scandal of his own. At a news conference on Monday, Fairfax, 39, denied a sexual assault allegation that was reported against him on the same website that first disclosed the Northam yearbook photo. The Big League Politics site on Sunday posted a private Facebook message purportedly obtained from the accuser with her permission by a friend suggesting that Fairfax had assaulted her during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. While the Facebook post did not explicitly name Fairfax, the website's story linked him to the allegation. At a news conference on Monday, Fairfax acknowledged having had a consensual encounter with the woman in 2004 but denied any wrongdoing, adding that "now, years later, we have a totally fabricated story out of the blue to attack me." At least two media outlets, including the Washington Post, said a woman had approached them more than a year ago with the same allegation, but that they had been unable to substantiate her account. Fairfax also expressed doubt at what Northam might do next. "I believe the governor has to make a decision that's in the best interest of the Commonwealth of Virginia," Fairfax told reporters at the capitol. Asked if he were preparing to possibly assume office as governor, Fairfax replied, "There is a lot of uncertainty right now in our government. But we always have to be ready." Should Northam resign, Fairfax is in line to become the second African-American governor in the history of Virginia, where his great-great-great grandfather was a slave. The first was Douglas Wilder, a Democrat elected in 1989. Fairfax would be only the fifth black politician to serve as governor of a U.S. state, dating back to the post-Civil War era of Reconstruction. Revelation of the yearbook photo and the governor's response to it have drawn calls for his resignation from most elected office holders in Virginia, considered a key swing state in the 2020 presidential race, and many national political figures. At least five Democratic presidential candidates, including US Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, both of whom are black, said Northam had lost the moral authority to lead.

Virginia governor's future in limbo amid outcry over racist photo

Talk about a spectacular joyride: an American soldier commandeered an armoured personnel carrier and led police on a chase along a major highway for more than an hour.

In scenes that drew comparisons with the anarchic Grand Theft Auto video game series, the vehicle tore through streets, ignoring traffic signals -- and the screaming sirens in hot pursuit.

Cops in the eastern state of Virginia were unable to deploy the stingers that might normally be laid out across the roads to burst a stolen car's tyres.

Instead, they raced along behind the sand-coloured all-terrain vehicle, whose caterpillar tracks were carrying it at speeds of up to 40 miles (65 kilometres) per hour.

"This is INSANE!" wrote Twitter-user @ParkerSlay89, posting a video of the chase.

"Someone has hijacked a 'Tank-like' vehicle from Fort Pickett and just drove it by our apartment!"

Kayleigh, a bystander, told local TV network WWBT: "Honestly it kinda reminds me of the Grand Theft Auto games where the tanks drive just in the middle of the city, it's surreal."

The wildly successful Grand Theft Auto series is an open-world video game in which players create mayhem across an urban landscape, stealing vehicles and committing crimes.&nbsp;

Virginia State Police Sargent Keeli Hill told reporters the APC, which was not equipped with any weapons, had been boosted from a Virginia National Guard base and driven along a major road to the state capital, Richmond.

During the pursuit, officers closed exit ramps on the highway, Hill said, adding the soldier eventually stopped the vehicle and surrendered.

High-speed police chases are a regular feature of US news networks, many of which dispatch helicopters to give their audience a bird's-eye view of the action.

Virginia Police chased him for more than an hour before the soldier finally stopped an surrendered

Talk about a spectacular joyride: an American soldier commandeered an armoured personnel carrier and led police on a chase along a major highway for more than an hour. In scenes that drew comparisons with the anarchic Grand Theft Auto video game series, the vehicle tore through streets, ignoring traffic signals -- and the screaming sirens in hot pursuit. Cops in the eastern state of Virginia were unable to deploy the stingers that might normally be laid out across the roads to burst a stolen car's tyres. Instead, they raced along behind the sand-coloured all-terrain vehicle, whose caterpillar tracks were carrying it at speeds of up to 40 miles (65 kilometres) per hour. "This is INSANE!" wrote Twitter-user @ParkerSlay89, posting a video of the chase. "Someone has hijacked a 'Tank-like' vehicle from Fort Pickett and just drove it by our apartment!" Kayleigh, a bystander, told local TV network WWBT: "Honestly it kinda reminds me of the Grand Theft Auto games where the tanks drive just in the middle of the city, it's surreal." The wildly successful Grand Theft Auto series is an open-world video game in which players create mayhem across an urban landscape, stealing vehicles and committing crimes. Virginia State Police Sargent Keeli Hill told reporters the APC, which was not equipped with any weapons, had been boosted from a Virginia National Guard base and driven along a major road to the state capital, Richmond. During the pursuit, officers closed exit ramps on the highway, Hill said, adding the soldier eventually stopped the vehicle and surrendered. High-speed police chases are a regular feature of US news networks, many of which dispatch helicopters to give their audience a bird's-eye view of the action.

Grand Theft Auto: US soldier steals armoured personnel carrier

A 28-year-old police officer Jacob Moore from Buena Vista, Virginia, ran into a burning house to save a dog and an owner who were stuck inside&nbsp;the house in the fire.

The officer heard an alert about the house on fire and ran into the building that was four houses away from his own home.

The house belonged to a retired couple who used to run a daycare.

&nbsp;Without even realising that he lacked the professional firefighter training, Officer Moore jumped inside and found one of the homeowners standing in the kitchen and screaming.&nbsp;

The owner, Lovie Atkinson, was worried about her husband and dog who were stuck in the fire.&nbsp;She did not want to leave the house without them.&nbsp;

Officer Moore got her out of the house and assured her that he would get back her husband and the dog.

He then went inside the house&nbsp;engulfed in heavy smoke and found the&nbsp;dog and got her back.

The entire episode of entering the house and getting back the owner and the dog&nbsp;was recorded in his body camera.&nbsp; 
 
Moore has been the officer of the area for the past two years.

He did not have any professional firefighter training.He said he went inside simply because he thought that the family was in need.

Earlier in December also,&nbsp;Moore ran into a&nbsp;fire to save a family.

Without even realising that he lacked the professional firefighter training, 28-year-old officer Moore jumped inside the fire and found one of the owners standing in the kitchen and screaming

A 28-year-old police officer Jacob Moore from Buena Vista, Virginia, ran into a burning house to save a dog and an owner who were stuck inside the house in the fire. The officer heard an alert about the house on fire and ran into the building that was four houses away from his own home. The house belonged to a retired couple who used to run a daycare. Without even realising that he lacked the professional firefighter training, Officer Moore jumped inside and found one of the homeowners standing in the kitchen and screaming. The owner, Lovie Atkinson, was worried about her husband and dog who were stuck in the fire. She did not want to leave the house without them. Officer Moore got her out of the house and assured her that he would get back her husband and the dog. He then went inside the house engulfed in heavy smoke and found the dog and got her back. The entire episode of entering the house and getting back the owner and the dog was recorded in his body camera. Moore has been the officer of the area for the past two years. He did not have any professional firefighter training.He said he went inside simply because he thought that the family was in need. Earlier in December also, Moore ran into a fire to save a family.

Virginia police officer saves family from fire, then goes back in for dog

An envelope containing a suspicious letter was opened at a US military base near Washington, leaving 11 people including nine Marines sick.

A gunnery sergeant opened the envelope received yesterday at Joint Base Fort Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia.

People who were exposed reported symptoms including itchy hands and faces and bloody noses, a Marine official told NBC News. The building was evacuated immediately.

The official said the envelope was addressed to the Marines&#39; headquarters battalion on the base, not to an individual. 
&quot;Shortly after receiving the letter, 11 people started to feel ill and caused the evacuation of the building,&quot; Major Brian Block, a Marine spokesman said.

After the evaluation of 11 people, three personnel were transported in stable condition for further medical evaluations.

The building was screened and cleared.

&quot;The letter was removed, and NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and FBI are conducting a joint investigation,&quot; he said. 
Fort Myer is adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery and is jointly controlled by the Army and Marine Corps. It is also home to the Army&#39;s Third Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, which serves as the presidential honour guard.&nbsp;

Marine spokesman Major Brian Block said it was too soon to say whether the incident was being considered a terror attack

An envelope containing a suspicious letter was opened at a US military base near Washington, leaving 11 people including nine Marines sick. A gunnery sergeant opened the envelope received yesterday at Joint Base Fort Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia. People who were exposed reported symptoms including itchy hands and faces and bloody noses, a Marine official told NBC News. The building was evacuated immediately. The official said the envelope was addressed to the Marines' headquarters battalion on the base, not to an individual. "Shortly after receiving the letter, 11 people started to feel ill and caused the evacuation of the building," Major Brian Block, a Marine spokesman said. After the evaluation of 11 people, three personnel were transported in stable condition for further medical evaluations. The building was screened and cleared. "The letter was removed, and NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and FBI are conducting a joint investigation," he said. Fort Myer is adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery and is jointly controlled by the Army and Marine Corps. It is also home to the Army's Third Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, which serves as the presidential honour guard.

11 sick after suspicious letter opened at US military base

A rare winter storm hit the US Southeast on Wednesday, dumping snow on Florida&#39;s capital for the first time in three decades and snarling travel, while New England braced for a &quot;bombogenesis&quot; blizzard forecast to bring heavy accumulations on Thursday.

The governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia declared states of emergency, warning residents to expect icy roads and freezing temperatures. In the northeast, work crews loaded trucks with road salt in advance of the storm.

The New York City Department of Education said it would close public schools on Thursday because of severe weather. The National Weather Service predicted New York could see 5-8 inches of snow and wind gusts as high as 50 mph on Thursday.

Much of the eastern United States is in the grips of a sustained cold spell that has frozen parts of Niagara Falls on the American and Canadian sides, played havoc with public works causing pipes to freeze and water mains to burst, and impeded firefighting in places where temperatures barely broke 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

The cold has been blamed for at least nine deaths over the past few days, including two homeless people in Houston. Police in Roseville, Michigan, said on Wednesday that a 96-year-old woman, recently diagnosed with dementia, was found dead in a playground, apparently having frozen to death after wandering outside in a robe and slippers.

The National Weather Service had blizzard warnings in effect from Virginia to Maine, with areas around Boston expected to see about a foot (30 cm) of snow on Thursday.

Snow would fall quickly during the day, at a rate of several inches per hour, with the storm intensified by the &quot;bombogenesis&quot; effect, private forecaster Accuweather warned.

&quot;Bombogenesis,&quot; also known as a &quot;bomb cyclone,&quot; occurs when a storm&#39;s barometric pressure drops by 24 millibars in 24 hours, greatly strengthening the storm.

The effect is seen along the Northeastern coast every winter, but this storm will be particularly powerful, said Judah Cohen, a visiting scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

&quot;This one is unique in how quickly the pressure is going to fall,&quot; Cohen said. &quot;The pressures could rival a Category 1 or Category 2 hurricane.&quot;

An arctic air mass will remain entrenched over the eastern two-thirds of the United States through the end of the week.

NOT FIT FOR MAN NOR BEAST

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An emergency service vehicle exits the New York State Thruway, which was closed following a major traffic incident due to blizzard-like conditions, near Buffalo, New York. (Reuters)
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&nbsp;

At a news conference, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster warned people in the eastern part of the state to stay indoors if possible and to keep pets indoors.

&quot;If they can&#39;t get in the heat, they&#39;ll freeze to death and they&#39;ll be gone,&quot; McMaster said. &quot;And the same thing will happen to people. So you have to be careful about that.&quot;

In the state&#39;s historic city of Charleston, the winter storm shuttered carriage-horse tour companies after a horse slipped and fell on ice during a tour on Tuesday, city spokesman Jack O&#39;Toole said.

The wintry mix and low wind chills caused widespread power outages and icy roads, making commuting treacherous for millions of Americans from northern Florida to southern Virginia, the National Weather Service said.

The storm was starting to snarl air travel in the southern United States, with about 50 percent of flights canceled at airports in South Carolina&#39;s Charleston and Myrtle Beach and Savannah, Georgia, according to the FlightAware tracking service.

Two to 3 inches (5-8 cm) of snow were expected in northeastern Florida, coastal Georgia and South Carolina, weather service meteorologist Bob Oravec said. The weather service said its Tallahassee office had measured snow and sleet accumulation of 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) on its roof, the first snow in Florida&#39;s capital since 1989.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh ordered schools closed on Thursday, warning city residents that the peak of the storm would occur during the day, making travel extremely dangerous.

&quot;Both rush hours will be affected,&quot; Walsh told a news conference. &quot;Be patient. With the amount of snow we&#39;re getting here, we could be plowing your street and a half hour later it could look like we haven&#39;t been there.&quot;

The New York City Department of Education said it would close public schools on Thursday because of severe weather.

A rare winter storm hit the US Southeast on Wednesday, dumping snow on Florida's capital for the first time in three decades and snarling travel, while New England braced for a "bombogenesis" blizzard forecast to bring heavy accumulations on Thursday. The governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia declared states of emergency, warning residents to expect icy roads and freezing temperatures. In the northeast, work crews loaded trucks with road salt in advance of the storm. The New York City Department of Education said it would close public schools on Thursday because of severe weather. The National Weather Service predicted New York could see 5-8 inches of snow and wind gusts as high as 50 mph on Thursday. Much of the eastern United States is in the grips of a sustained cold spell that has frozen parts of Niagara Falls on the American and Canadian sides, played havoc with public works causing pipes to freeze and water mains to burst, and impeded firefighting in places where temperatures barely broke 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The cold has been blamed for at least nine deaths over the past few days, including two homeless people in Houston. Police in Roseville, Michigan, said on Wednesday that a 96-year-old woman, recently diagnosed with dementia, was found dead in a playground, apparently having frozen to death after wandering outside in a robe and slippers. The National Weather Service had blizzard warnings in effect from Virginia to Maine, with areas around Boston expected to see about a foot (30 cm) of snow on Thursday. Snow would fall quickly during the day, at a rate of several inches per hour, with the storm intensified by the "bombogenesis" effect, private forecaster Accuweather warned. "Bombogenesis," also known as a "bomb cyclone," occurs when a storm's barometric pressure drops by 24 millibars in 24 hours, greatly strengthening the storm. The effect is seen along the Northeastern coast every winter, but this storm will be particularly powerful, said Judah Cohen, a visiting scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "This one is unique in how quickly the pressure is going to fall," Cohen said. "The pressures could rival a Category 1 or Category 2 hurricane." An arctic air mass will remain entrenched over the eastern two-thirds of the United States through the end of the week. NOT FIT FOR MAN NOR BEAST An emergency service vehicle exits the New York State Thruway, which was closed following a major traffic incident due to blizzard-like conditions, near Buffalo, New York. (Reuters) × At a news conference, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster warned people in the eastern part of the state to stay indoors if possible and to keep pets indoors. "If they can't get in the heat, they'll freeze to death and they'll be gone," McMaster said. "And the same thing will happen to people. So you have to be careful about that." In the state's historic city of Charleston, the winter storm shuttered carriage-horse tour companies after a horse slipped and fell on ice during a tour on Tuesday, city spokesman Jack O'Toole said. The wintry mix and low wind chills caused widespread power outages and icy roads, making commuting treacherous for millions of Americans from northern Florida to southern Virginia, the National Weather Service said. The storm was starting to snarl air travel in the southern United States, with about 50 percent of flights canceled at airports in South Carolina's Charleston and Myrtle Beach and Savannah, Georgia, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Two to 3 inches (5-8 cm) of snow were expected in northeastern Florida, coastal Georgia and South Carolina, weather service meteorologist Bob Oravec said. The weather service said its Tallahassee office had measured snow and sleet accumulation of 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) on its roof, the first snow in Florida's capital since 1989. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh ordered schools closed on Thursday, warning city residents that the peak of the storm would occur during the day, making travel extremely dangerous. "Both rush hours will be affected," Walsh told a news conference. "Be patient. With the amount of snow we're getting here, we could be plowing your street and a half hour later it could look like we haven't been there."

'Bombogenesis' takes aim at US Northeast as snow sweeps South

Former President Barack Obama, back on the campaign trail on Thursday for the first time since he left the White House, called on voters to reject a growing &quot;politics of division&quot; that he said was corroding American democracy.

Without mentioning Republican President Donald Trump by name, Obama told campaign rallies in New Jersey and Virginia that voters could send a powerful message about the type of politics they want by backing Democrats in November 7 elections in the two states.

&quot;What we can&#39;t have is the same old politics of division that we have seen so many times before, that dates back centuries,&quot; Obama told a cheering crowd in Newark, New Jersey, that chanted: &quot;Four more years.&quot;

&quot;Some of the politics we see now, we thought we put that to bed. That&#39;s folks looking 50 years back,&quot; Obama said. &quot;It&#39;s the 21st century, not the 19th century.&quot;

At a later stop in Richmond, Virginia, Obama said modern politics increasingly did not reflect basic American values of inclusiveness and were driving people away from the process.

&quot;We&#39;ve got folks who are deliberately trying to make folks angry, to demonise people who have different ideas, to get the base all riled up because it provides a short-term tactical advantage. Sometimes that feels frustrating,&quot; Obama said.

Many of Obama&#39;s comments appeared to be thinly veiled swipes at Trump, whose combative style and inflammatory rhetoric have led to frequent controversy and stoked political tensions.

Obama made the remarks just hours after former President George W&nbsp;Bush, a Republican, also took an indirect swing at Trump with a speech decrying &quot;bullying and prejudice&quot; while defending immigrants and trade.&nbsp;

Obama&#39;s appearances were aimed at driving up Democratic turnout in New Jersey and Virginia, the only two states holding elections for governor this year. 
 
Democrats hope Obama can bring some of the young, minority and infrequent voters who powered his two elections to the White House out to the polls in off-year elections.

Closely watched contests

The two contests will be closely watched to see if Democrats can convert the grassroots resistance to Trump into electoral wins after falling short earlier this year in four competitive special congressional elections.

The governor&#39;s races, and a special election in December for a US&nbsp;Senate seat in Alabama, could offer clues to the national political mood ahead of next year&#39;s congressional elections, when all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 of the Senate`s 100 seats will be up for grabs. Republicans currently control both chambers.

Since leaving the White House in January, Obama has frequently been forced to defend his record as Trump and Republicans have tried to gut his signature healthcare law and roll back his immigration and environmental policies.

While he has rarely spoken out about politics in the past nine months, Obama said it was critical that supporters get their friends and families to vote.

In Newark, he said no one should assume victory just because opinion polls show Phil Murphy, a former investment banker and U.S. ambassador to Germany, has a comfortable lead on Republican opponent Kim Guadagno, the state`s lieutenant governor.

&quot;I don&#39;t know if you all noticed that, but you can`t take any election for granted,&quot; he said in a reference to Democrat Hillary Clinton`s surprise loss last year in the presidential race.

In the political battleground of Virginia, polls show a close contest between Democrat Ralph Northam, the state`s lieutenant governor, and Republican Ed Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman who has been endorsed by Trump.

Obama carried Virginia in both 2008 and 2012, and Democrat Hillary Clinton won the state over Trump by 5 percentage points in 2016.

Obama's appearances were aimed at driving up Democratic turnout in New Jersey and Virginia, the only two states holding elections for governor this year

Former President Barack Obama, back on the campaign trail on Thursday for the first time since he left the White House, called on voters to reject a growing "politics of division" that he said was corroding American democracy. Without mentioning Republican President Donald Trump by name, Obama told campaign rallies in New Jersey and Virginia that voters could send a powerful message about the type of politics they want by backing Democrats in November 7 elections in the two states. "What we can't have is the same old politics of division that we have seen so many times before, that dates back centuries," Obama told a cheering crowd in Newark, New Jersey, that chanted: "Four more years." "Some of the politics we see now, we thought we put that to bed. That's folks looking 50 years back," Obama said. "It's the 21st century, not the 19th century." At a later stop in Richmond, Virginia, Obama said modern politics increasingly did not reflect basic American values of inclusiveness and were driving people away from the process. "We've got folks who are deliberately trying to make folks angry, to demonise people who have different ideas, to get the base all riled up because it provides a short-term tactical advantage. Sometimes that feels frustrating," Obama said. Many of Obama's comments appeared to be thinly veiled swipes at Trump, whose combative style and inflammatory rhetoric have led to frequent controversy and stoked political tensions. Obama made the remarks just hours after former President George W Bush, a Republican, also took an indirect swing at Trump with a speech decrying "bullying and prejudice" while defending immigrants and trade. Obama's appearances were aimed at driving up Democratic turnout in New Jersey and Virginia, the only two states holding elections for governor this year. Democrats hope Obama can bring some of the young, minority and infrequent voters who powered his two elections to the White House out to the polls in off-year elections. Closely watched contests The two contests will be closely watched to see if Democrats can convert the grassroots resistance to Trump into electoral wins after falling short earlier this year in four competitive special congressional elections. The governor's races, and a special election in December for a US Senate seat in Alabama, could offer clues to the national political mood ahead of next year's congressional elections, when all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 of the Senate`s 100 seats will be up for grabs. Republicans currently control both chambers. Since leaving the White House in January, Obama has frequently been forced to defend his record as Trump and Republicans have tried to gut his signature healthcare law and roll back his immigration and environmental policies. While he has rarely spoken out about politics in the past nine months, Obama said it was critical that supporters get their friends and families to vote. In Newark, he said no one should assume victory just because opinion polls show Phil Murphy, a former investment banker and U.S. ambassador to Germany, has a comfortable lead on Republican opponent Kim Guadagno, the state`s lieutenant governor. "I don't know if you all noticed that, but you can`t take any election for granted," he said in a reference to Democrat Hillary Clinton`s surprise loss last year in the presidential race. In the political battleground of Virginia, polls show a close contest between Democrat Ralph Northam, the state`s lieutenant governor, and Republican Ed Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman who has been endorsed by Trump. Obama carried Virginia in both 2008 and 2012, and Democrat Hillary Clinton won the state over Trump by 5 percentage points in 2016.

Obama back on campaign trail, urges voters to reject 'politics of division'

If one has to abide by history, then this week a strange incident occurred in the University of Virginia, where a group of thousand white people (immigrants from 1600) took a tiki torch march demanding an end to immigration.

The University of Virginia founded in 1819 by the declaration of independence author Thomas Jefferson amongst many other things is well known for its historical foundations. Situated in a peaceful locality of 50,000 residents Charlottesville witnessed another incident of white supremacist rally, this time headed by self-promoting white supremacist Richard Spencer, also a graduate of the University of Virginia.

In a self-recorded film, he went on saying &ldquo;your head&#39;s gonna spin, how many times we are going to be back here. We&#39;re going to make Charlottesville the center of the universe.&rdquo;

Now that&#39;s challenging the entire physical cosmology, from a university which boasts about one of the best graduate programs in physics in the world.

On the other hand, White nationalists carrying torches marched in Charlottesville, Virginia governor declared a state of emergency after violent outbursts.

The mayor of the Charlottesville had to say this:

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Another despicable visit by neo-Nazi cowards. You&rsquo;re not welcome here! Go home! Meantime we&rsquo;re looking at all our legal options. Stay tuned.
&mdash; Mike Signer (@MikeSigner) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSigner/status/916838439567482881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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After speaking to Indian parents of students studying in and around Virginia, the sentiment common amongst them was, they still trust the respective universities and were not afraid for their children. None has reported an incident of racism on campus.

One of the parents even narrated an interesting story where the University of Virginia tech cancelled the admission of a white student who went on saying on the common facebook page for the freshers that the Indians are taking too much space there. The interesting part is not the responsible action taken by the university, but it was taken without anyone reporting the incident.

They term the&nbsp;Saturday&nbsp;march as an isolated incident driven by few people who don&#39;t actually reflect the sentiments of the larger society.

At present, a hundred and thousand Indian students are studying under different courses in the USA. Even if one goes by the average course fee paid by these students, it amounts to 518 crores US dollars.

Although, the recent media reporting from the US term it as another example which exposes the deeply seeded divide which has always existed in America.

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<h5>One has to understand that the policies seem more like plugging loopholes in the administration rather than attacking various ethnicities.</h5>
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Around similar times, Trump administration releases hard-line immigration principles, threatening the deal on &#39;dreamers&#39;.

Many would like to draw parallel lines from both the incidents, yet one has to understand that the policies seem more like plugging loopholes in the administration rather than attacking various ethnicities, at least for now.

Many unite the right protesters wore white nationalist and Nazi paraphernalia, a militia arrived armed with heavy weaponry and some individuals wore Ku Klux Klan imagery. Former KKK leader David Duke attended.

The gathering is a reminder of an undercurrent which supposedly got Trump to be the president, the anti-semitic, anti-immigration, and racist slogans&nbsp;reflects not the hatred but maybe the insecurity of the whites which is seeded as KKK is a group founded in 1921: its members put on hoods and&nbsp;burned crosses at&nbsp;midnight&nbsp;at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson&rsquo;s sprawling plantation and the site of his grave.

So is this the other side of the pole, when we talk of Muslim radicalisation. Finally, what can summarise the uprising sentiments better, than George Orwell from Animal Farm?

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

&nbsp;

White nationalists protest in Virginia, demanding an end to immigration

If one has to abide by history, then this week a strange incident occurred in the University of Virginia, where a group of thousand white people (immigrants from 1600) took a tiki torch march demanding an end to immigration. The University of Virginia founded in 1819 by the declaration of independence author Thomas Jefferson amongst many other things is well known for its historical foundations. Situated in a peaceful locality of 50,000 residents Charlottesville witnessed another incident of white supremacist rally, this time headed by self-promoting white supremacist Richard Spencer, also a graduate of the University of Virginia. In a self-recorded film, he went on saying “your head's gonna spin, how many times we are going to be back here. We're going to make Charlottesville the center of the universe.” Now that's challenging the entire physical cosmology, from a university which boasts about one of the best graduate programs in physics in the world. On the other hand, White nationalists carrying torches marched in Charlottesville, Virginia governor declared a state of emergency after violent outbursts. The mayor of the Charlottesville had to say this: Another despicable visit by neo-Nazi cowards. You’re not welcome here! Go home! Meantime we’re looking at all our legal options. Stay tuned. — Mike Signer (@MikeSigner) October 8, 2017 × After speaking to Indian parents of students studying in and around Virginia, the sentiment common amongst them was, they still trust the respective universities and were not afraid for their children. None has reported an incident of racism on campus. One of the parents even narrated an interesting story where the University of Virginia tech cancelled the admission of a white student who went on saying on the common facebook page for the freshers that the Indians are taking too much space there. The interesting part is not the responsible action taken by the university, but it was taken without anyone reporting the incident. They term the Saturday march as an isolated incident driven by few people who don't actually reflect the sentiments of the larger society. At present, a hundred and thousand Indian students are studying under different courses in the USA. Even if one goes by the average course fee paid by these students, it amounts to 518 crores US dollars. Although, the recent media reporting from the US term it as another example which exposes the deeply seeded divide which has always existed in America. One has to understand that the policies seem more like plugging loopholes in the administration rather than attacking various ethnicities. × Around similar times, Trump administration releases hard-line immigration principles, threatening the deal on 'dreamers'. Many would like to draw parallel lines from both the incidents, yet one has to understand that the policies seem more like plugging loopholes in the administration rather than attacking various ethnicities, at least for now. Many unite the right protesters wore white nationalist and Nazi paraphernalia, a militia arrived armed with heavy weaponry and some individuals wore Ku Klux Klan imagery. Former KKK leader David Duke attended. The gathering is a reminder of an undercurrent which supposedly got Trump to be the president, the anti-semitic, anti-immigration, and racist slogans reflects not the hatred but maybe the insecurity of the whites which is seeded as KKK is a group founded in 1921: its members put on hoods and burned crosses at midnight at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s sprawling plantation and the site of his grave. So is this the other side of the pole, when we talk of Muslim radicalisation. Finally, what can summarise the uprising sentiments better, than George Orwell from Animal Farm? All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

One people one nation, end immigration

The violent scenes in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to the death of one woman and left much more injured began as a dispute over a statue of General Robert E. Lee, which sits in a local public park. However, the controversy feeds into a much wider debate that is as old as the United States itself. So, who was Lee and why does a memorial to him trouble so many people?

The meeting of white supremacists in Charlottesville was originally held under the pretext of demonstrating against plans to remove the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-to-do-with-confederate-statues-81736">statue</a>. The Charlottesville city council voted in February for it to be removed from the recently renamed Emancipation Park (formerly Lee Park). The decision came as part of a movement to challenge the ubiquity of Confederate symbols in the South.

These statues, for their opponents, signify the oppression of African Americans under slavery and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Jim-Crow-law">Jim Crow segregation laws</a>. They serve as daily reminders of the vulnerability of black people. The message of such monuments is the same to many of their defenders, even if their interpretation is different. To the white supremacists who gathered on the streets of Charlottesville, the statue of Lee represents white military and political power.

In the decades after the Civil War, memorials celebrating the South&#39;s valiant effort and glorious defeat appeared all over the region. They embodied the myth of the &ldquo;lost cause&rdquo; &ndash; the idea that the war had been fought to defend states&rsquo; rights, rather than slavery. In this interpretation, the south only lost because of the industrial might of the northern &ldquo;aggressor&rdquo;.

This doctrine came to prominence during the Jim Crow era when whites implemented racial segregation through violent, extra-legal and then legal means. The lost cause memory was used to justify and enforce white supremacy.

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BREAKING: Durham, NC activists just TOOK DOWN a confederate statue themselves! 
 
<a href="https://t.co/TraADOeGaP">https://t.co/TraADOeGaP</a>
&mdash; The Opposition (@oppstn) <a href="https://twitter.com/oppstn/status/897239210075316224">14 August 2017</a></blockquote>
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For many, the Confederate memorials continue to represent this repression. They are a celebration of southern identity as white. Since the rise of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/black-lives-matter-14463">Black Lives Matter</a> movement, the slogan &ldquo;BLM&rdquo;, as well as the names of victims of police shootings have appeared on memorials around the country. &ldquo;Black Lives Matter&rdquo; was sprayed on Charlottesville&rsquo;s Lee statue in the days following the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hate-violence-and-the-tragedy-of-the-charleston-shootings-43579">Charleston church shootings</a> in 2015. Along with calls for the removal of Confederate flags from civic buildings, there have been increasingly vocal, and successful demands to reconsider the place of monuments in public spaces.

Who was Robert E. Lee?

The statue in Charlottesville is of Lee atop his horse, Traveller. The Confederate general and native of Virginia hold a hat in one hand and his horse&rsquo;s reins in the other, his sword ready at his side.

It was unveiled by Lee&rsquo;s great-granddaughter at a ceremony in May 1924. As was the custom on these occasions it was accompanied by a parade and speeches. In the dedication address, Lee was celebrated as a hero, who embodied &ldquo;the moral greatness of the Old South&rdquo;, and as a proponent of reconciliation between the two sections. The war itself was remembered as a conflict between &ldquo;interpretations of our Constitution&rdquo; and between &ldquo;ideals of democracy.&rdquo;

Here was the states&rsquo; rights argument. The south fought a noble war over its right to self-determination, rather than an effort to keep millions enslaved. Lee claimed one of the speakers, &ldquo;abhorred slavery&rdquo;. In his position as commander of the Confederate Army of North Virginia, Lee represented military endeavor rather than a political struggle to uphold human bondage.

This has made Lee a powerful symbol of the Confederacy. He allowed white southerners to ignore the central role of slavery in the war. They could forget that the southern states seceded in order to uphold slavery and that their defeat meant freedom to millions of enslaved people. There was no space for black memories of emancipation in the South&#39;s public spaces. Confederates were white and their monuments were celebrations of whiteness.

Lee is one of the most frequent figures to be memorialised in statues, aside from the common soldier. In 2016, the <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/20160421/whose-heritage-public-symbols-confederacy">Southern Poverty Law Center</a> cataloged all publicly supported spaces dedicated to the Confederacy, finding 203 examples named for Robert E. Lee. Streets, highways, counties, cities, parks, monuments and 52 public schools are named after the Confederate general. Up until 2015, Lee&rsquo;s birthday was officially marked in five states.

The same year as Lee&rsquo;s statue appeared in Charlottesville, Virginia passed laws which strengthened definitions of who was &ldquo;colored&rdquo; and who was &ldquo;white&rdquo;, and which reinforced the law prohibiting interracial marriage. Then, two years later, the state passed a law to enforce racial segregation in places of public entertainment.

The monument to Lee served the same purpose as the legislation &ndash; to remind African Americans of their perceived place and inferiority. White nationalists gathered to protect the statue in 2017 because they wanted to celebrate its message. Like the original creators and supporters of the Lee monument, they sought to celebrate a white supremacist vision not just of the past, but of the present.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/charlottesville-virginia-the-history-of-the-statue-at-the-centre-of-violent-unrest-82476">original article</a>.

The statue of General Robert E. Lee serves as a reminder to the African-American of their tormentous past.

The violent scenes in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to the death of one woman and left much more injured began as a dispute over a statue of General Robert E. Lee, which sits in a local public park. However, the controversy feeds into a much wider debate that is as old as the United States itself. So, who was Lee and why does a memorial to him trouble so many people? The meeting of white supremacists in Charlottesville was originally held under the pretext of demonstrating against plans to remove the statue. The Charlottesville city council voted in February for it to be removed from the recently renamed Emancipation Park (formerly Lee Park). The decision came as part of a movement to challenge the ubiquity of Confederate symbols in the South. These statues, for their opponents, signify the oppression of African Americans under slavery and the Jim Crow segregation laws. They serve as daily reminders of the vulnerability of black people. The message of such monuments is the same to many of their defenders, even if their interpretation is different. To the white supremacists who gathered on the streets of Charlottesville, the statue of Lee represents white military and political power. In the decades after the Civil War, memorials celebrating the South's valiant effort and glorious defeat appeared all over the region. They embodied the myth of the “lost cause” – the idea that the war had been fought to defend states’ rights, rather than slavery. In this interpretation, the south only lost because of the industrial might of the northern “aggressor”. This doctrine came to prominence during the Jim Crow era when whites implemented racial segregation through violent, extra-legal and then legal means. The lost cause memory was used to justify and enforce white supremacy. BREAKING: Durham, NC activists just TOOK DOWN a confederate statue themselves! https://t.co/TraADOeGaP — The Opposition (@oppstn) 14 August 2017 × For many, the Confederate memorials continue to represent this repression. They are a celebration of southern identity as white. Since the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the slogan “BLM”, as well as the names of victims of police shootings have appeared on memorials around the country. “Black Lives Matter” was sprayed on Charlottesville’s Lee statue in the days following the Charleston church shootings in 2015. Along with calls for the removal of Confederate flags from civic buildings, there have been increasingly vocal, and successful demands to reconsider the place of monuments in public spaces. Who was Robert E. Lee? The statue in Charlottesville is of Lee atop his horse, Traveller. The Confederate general and native of Virginia hold a hat in one hand and his horse’s reins in the other, his sword ready at his side. It was unveiled by Lee’s great-granddaughter at a ceremony in May 1924. As was the custom on these occasions it was accompanied by a parade and speeches. In the dedication address, Lee was celebrated as a hero, who embodied “the moral greatness of the Old South”, and as a proponent of reconciliation between the two sections. The war itself was remembered as a conflict between “interpretations of our Constitution” and between “ideals of democracy.” Here was the states’ rights argument. The south fought a noble war over its right to self-determination, rather than an effort to keep millions enslaved. Lee claimed one of the speakers, “abhorred slavery”. In his position as commander of the Confederate Army of North Virginia, Lee represented military endeavor rather than a political struggle to uphold human bondage. This has made Lee a powerful symbol of the Confederacy. He allowed white southerners to ignore the central role of slavery in the war. They could forget that the southern states seceded in order to uphold slavery and that their defeat meant freedom to millions of enslaved people. There was no space for black memories of emancipation in the South's public spaces. Confederates were white and their monuments were celebrations of whiteness. Lee is one of the most frequent figures to be memorialised in statues, aside from the common soldier. In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center cataloged all publicly supported spaces dedicated to the Confederacy, finding 203 examples named for Robert E. Lee. Streets, highways, counties, cities, parks, monuments and 52 public schools are named after the Confederate general. Up until 2015, Lee’s birthday was officially marked in five states. The same year as Lee’s statue appeared in Charlottesville, Virginia passed laws which strengthened definitions of who was “colored” and who was “white”, and which reinforced the law prohibiting interracial marriage. Then, two years later, the state passed a law to enforce racial segregation in places of public entertainment. The monument to Lee served the same purpose as the legislation – to remind African Americans of their perceived place and inferiority. White nationalists gathered to protect the statue in 2017 because they wanted to celebrate its message. Like the original creators and supporters of the Lee monument, they sought to celebrate a white supremacist vision not just of the past, but of the present. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Charlottesville, Virginia: the history of the statue at the centre of violent unrest

Jason Kessler, the organiser of the &quot;Unite the Right&quot; rally that ended in violence on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, ran away from a botched press conference at 14:00 Sunday after angry protesters descended on him.

The white nationalist was seen fleeing into a police station as the crowd yelled &quot;murderer&quot; and &quot;shame&quot;, chasing him into the building.

Several hundred meters away from the police station, a candlelight vigil was held near City Hall to mourn Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old woman, who was killed after a man drove a car into the crowd the day before.

A rally staged by white nationalists in Charlottesville turned violent Saturday when the group clashed for hours with counter-protesters. Later in the day, a sports car rammed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing the woman and injuring 19 others.

Two hours after Kessler entered the police station, irritate crowds still had not dispersed from the area. White nationalists and counter-protesters continued to argue with one another outside City Hall.

An older man and woman had a particularly heated exchange outside the station. Afterwards, they spoke with reporters.

&quot;And if you don&#39;t agree with them, you are a racist or a white supremacist,&quot; said the man, a right-wing supporter.

&quot;It&#39;s hard to believe we are doing this in 2017 when a lot of us thought we did this in the 60s,&quot; said the woman, counter-protester.

A rally staged by white nationalists in Charlottesville turned violent Saturday when the group clashed for hours with counter-protesters. Later in the day, a sports car rammed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing the woman and injuring 19 others.

Jason Kessler, the organiser of the "Unite the Right" rally that ended in violence on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, ran away from a botched press conference at 14:00 Sunday after angry protesters descended on him. The white nationalist was seen fleeing into a police station as the crowd yelled "murderer" and "shame", chasing him into the building. Several hundred meters away from the police station, a candlelight vigil was held near City Hall to mourn Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old woman, who was killed after a man drove a car into the crowd the day before. A rally staged by white nationalists in Charlottesville turned violent Saturday when the group clashed for hours with counter-protesters. Later in the day, a sports car rammed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing the woman and injuring 19 others. Two hours after Kessler entered the police station, irritate crowds still had not dispersed from the area. White nationalists and counter-protesters continued to argue with one another outside City Hall. An older man and woman had a particularly heated exchange outside the station. Afterwards, they spoke with reporters. "And if you don't agree with them, you are a racist or a white supremacist," said the man, a right-wing supporter. "It's hard to believe we are doing this in 2017 when a lot of us thought we did this in the 60s," said the woman, counter-protester.

Crowd attacks white nationalist rally organizer in Charlottesville

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is leading in three states -- Indiana, Kentucky and New Hampshire -- while his rival Hillary Clinton is projected to win Vermont.

Donald Trump is projected to win traditional Republican strongholds Indiana, Kentucky and Georgia, while Hillary Clinton is projected to bag Vermont.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, polling has closed in crucial swing states --&nbsp;Florida and Virginia.

Early reports indicate that it is tight between the two presidential contenders in Florida and Virginia.

(WION)

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brace for election outcome after voting closes in some states

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is leading in three states -- Indiana, Kentucky and New Hampshire -- while his rival Hillary Clinton is projected to win Vermont. Donald Trump is projected to win traditional Republican strongholds Indiana, Kentucky and Georgia, while Hillary Clinton is projected to bag Vermont. Meanwhile, polling has closed in crucial swing states -- Florida and Virginia. Early reports indicate that it is tight between the two presidential contenders in Florida and Virginia. (WION)

Live US election 2016: Trump leads in Indiana, Kentucky; Clinton ahead in Vermont and Virginia

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