Vanita Gupta Makes History As First Indian-American Associate Attorney General

·2 min read
A graduate of Yale University and New York University School of Law, Gupta has had an illustrious career in civil rights law.
A graduate of Yale University and New York University School of Law, Gupta has had an illustrious career in civil rights law.

Eminent Indian-American civil rights lawyer Vanita Gupta (46) has been confirmed by the US Senate as associate attorney general, making her the first woman of colour to occupy the position. Gupta is the first civil rights lawyer to serve at one of the top three positions at the Department of Justice.

A graduate of Yale University and New York University School of Law, Gupta has had an illustrious career in civil rights law, starting off at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and has dealt extensively with issues around immigration and mass incarceration. In October 2014, under President Barack Obama, she was appointed as the United States Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and the head of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.

In January this year, President Joe Biden nominated Gupta to serve as the United States’ Associate Attorney General. Last month, a hearing was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss her nomination.

"I have nominated two key Justice Department nominees — Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke — who are eminently qualified, highly respected lawyers who have spent their entire careers fighting to advance racial equity and justice,” Biden said. “Vanita and Kristen have the experience and the skill necessary to advance our administration's priorities to root out unconstitutional policing and reform our criminal justice system, and they deserve to be confirmed," he added.

Her nomination was met with staunch opposition from Republicans who pressed her over previous tweets critical of them, especially Donald Trump. They accused her of being an "extreme partisan advocate" at the confirmation hearing last month.

However, it was Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski who opposed her party colleagues to support Gupta. With her vote, the Democrats had the 51 votes they needed, leading to the historic confirmation on Wednesday.

Upon her win, Biden congratulated Gupta for making history as the first woman of colour to serve as associate attorney general and further urged the Senate to confirm Kristen Clarke.

“She will bring a long overdue perspective to our federal law enforcement agency,” says Senate Majority Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer, who played a key role in her confirmation.

It is a proud moment for the Indian-American community, many of whom took to social media to celebrate the historic achievement. Gupta is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Her father Rajiv L Gupta is an Indian-American businessman and the current chairman of Aptiv, an auto parts company. She is married to Chinh Q Le, the legal director of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, with whom she has two sons. Many hope that her win ushers in sweeping reforms and improves the representation of the Asian community in the American government.

(Edited by Amrita Ghosh)

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    The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. There are 1,338,141 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Canada: 1,338,141 confirmed cases (64,748 active, 1,248,375 resolved, 25,018 deaths).*The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers. There were 4,035 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 170.37 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 38,560 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 5,509. There were 37 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 305 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 44. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.11 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 65.83 per 100,000 people. There have been 33,668,274 tests completed. _ Newfoundland and Labrador: 1,209 confirmed cases (87 active, 1,116 resolved, six deaths). There were six new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 16.66 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 53 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is eight. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 1.15 per 100,000 people. There have been 257,029 tests completed. _ Prince Edward Island: 194 confirmed cases (10 active, 184 resolved, zero deaths). There were two new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 6.26 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of seven new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is one. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 155,073 tests completed. _ Nova Scotia: 4,917 confirmed cases (1,345 active, 3,500 resolved, 72 deaths). There were 90 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 137.34 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 765 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 109. There were zero new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there has been one new reported death. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.01 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 7.35 per 100,000 people. There have been 733,383 tests completed. _ New Brunswick: 2,083 confirmed cases (122 active, 1,919 resolved, 42 deaths). There were 10 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 15.61 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 68 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 10. There was one new reported death Tuesday. Over the past seven days there has been one new reported death. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.02 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 5.37 per 100,000 people. There have been 325,257 tests completed. _ Quebec: 364,396 confirmed cases (6,707 active, 346,639 resolved, 11,050 deaths). There were 549 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 78.22 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 4,940 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 706. There were nine new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 49 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is seven. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.08 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 128.87 per 100,000 people. There have been 8,884,582 tests completed. _ Ontario: 513,102 confirmed cases (24,966 active, 479,630 resolved, 8,506 deaths). There were 1,616 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 169.44 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 16,010 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 2,287. There were 17 new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 164 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 23. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.16 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 57.73 per 100,000 people. There have been 14,643,910 tests completed. _ Manitoba: 45,913 confirmed cases (4,543 active, 40,358 resolved, 1,012 deaths). There were 335 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 329.38 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 3,134 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 448. There was one new reported death Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 15 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is two. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.16 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 73.37 per 100,000 people. There have been 751,300 tests completed. _ Saskatchewan: 44,841 confirmed cases (1,825 active, 42,494 resolved, 522 deaths). There were 129 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 154.83 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,351 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 193. There were three new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 16 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is two. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.19 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 44.29 per 100,000 people. There have been 822,838 tests completed. _ Alberta: 220,559 confirmed cases (20,013 active, 198,394 resolved, 2,152 deaths). There were 877 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 452.59 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 8,723 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,246. There were four new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 33 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is five. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.11 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 48.67 per 100,000 people. There have been 4,411,791 tests completed. _ British Columbia: 140,075 confirmed cases (5,042 active, 133,383 resolved, 1,650 deaths). There were 411 new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 97.95 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 3,452 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 493. There were two new reported deaths Tuesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 26 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is four. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.07 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 32.05 per 100,000 people. There have been 2,637,084 tests completed. _ Yukon: 84 confirmed cases (zero active, 82 resolved, two deaths). There were zero new cases Tuesday. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of zero new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 4.76 per 100,000 people. There have been 9,129 tests completed. _ Northwest Territories: 125 confirmed cases (24 active, 101 resolved, zero deaths). There were four new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 53.14 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 13 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is two. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 22,490 tests completed. _ Nunavut: 630 confirmed cases (64 active, 562 resolved, four deaths). There were six new cases Tuesday. The rate of active cases is 162.63 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 44 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is six. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 10.16 per 100,000 people. There have been 14,332 tests completed. This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published May 18, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • Canada's change to Pfizer vaccine storage temperature has major implications on rollout

    The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can now be stored at typical refrigerator temperatures in Canada for weeks longer than previously thought, which could have major implications on the rollout of vaccines across the country and around the world. Health Canada announced Wednesday it had authorized a submission from Pfizer-BioNTech to allow the vaccine to be stored at temperatures of between 2 C and 8 C for up to a month — up from the previous five days. The move comes after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the change to the "more flexible" storage conditions for the vaccine on Monday, saying it could have a "significant impact" on the deployment of vaccines throughout the European Union. The EMA said unopened, thawed vials of the vaccine can be stored at temperatures of between 2 C and 8 C for a total of 31 days, up from the previously approved five days, after it analyzed additional data from Pfizer on the stability of the vaccine. CBC News pressed Health Canada on Monday about whether it would authorize a similar request from the company here, but a spokesperson for the federal agency said the submission was still "under review." Health Canada then updated its guidance Wednesday, allowing for thawed Pfizer vaccines to be kept at fridge temperatures for up to one month. Vials thawed at room temperature (up to 25 C) for 30 minutes must be used immediately, according to the vaccine's product monograph. The vaccine is typically stored at temperatures between –80 C to –60 C in Canada. Doses of the Pfizer vaccine are taken from cold storage to waiting transit ahead of distribution to hundreds of locations across England on Dec. 14, 2020. Changes to storage requirements for the vaccine could mean more flexibility for Canada's rollout, but experts said global benefits could be even more significant.(Jacob King/WPA/Getty Images) A spokesperson for Pfizer Canada said Wednesday the company made the request for the storage temperature changes to Health Canada on May 10, based on new data from stability studies that confirmed the quality of the vaccine for up to 31 days. The company says the formulation of the vaccine remains unchanged following the approval, adding that the extended storage period is effective immediately and applies to all current and future batches in Canada. "This approval allows significantly more flexibility in the distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to clinics across the country while maintaining our ability to deliver large volumes on a consistent basis," Christina Antoniou, Pfizer Canada's director of corporate affairs, told CBC News. "Given the importance of enhancing the distribution and administration process on the ground, Pfizer and BioNTech will continue to explore additional potential solutions to meet vaccination needs around the world." Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious diseases physician at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and an associate professor at McMaster University, says changes to how the thawed vaccine is stored could break down barriers to access in Canada — especially as second doses roll in. He says a longer storage time and more stable temperature would allow family physicians, homeless shelters, pharmacies, jails, pop-up clinics and eventually schools to keep Pfizer vaccines longer and potentially administer more doses. Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases physician at Toronto General Hospital and member of Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine task force, said the change in storage temperature would also make the vaccine easier to transport outside Canada's major urban centres. "By mitigating these cold chain limitations, you can just more readily get this vaccine out to more places," he said. "It just basically makes this vaccine much more usable and much easier to scale to larger populations." WATCH | Storing vaccine at warmer temperatures makes distribution 'so much easier' (Feb. 19): Bogoch says the proposed change could also lessen the pressure on individual provinces and territories when it comes to doses potentially expiring. "You're just not going to have this vaccine expire, because you've got more wiggle room and more time that it can sit in conventional refrigeration," he said. "You just have the potential to vaccinate more people." Pfizer storage challenged Canada's early rollout Canada's early deployment of the Pfizer vaccine was hindered by its complicated temperature requirements, which forced provinces to get creative in order to deliver it to vulnerable populations quickly. Quebec took the bold step of actually putting its vaccine distribution centres inside long-term care facilities. British Columbia moved the Pfizer vaccine from its distribution sites almost immediately into long-term care homes to inoculate residents and staff upon receiving its first doses. Yet Ontario initially decided against bringing it directly into long-term care homes. The province only did so more than three weeks after receiving its first shipment — prioritizing health-care workers instead. Bogoch says provinces were told in December that the vaccine shouldn't be moved after being thawed and that clinics should administer it at the same location and that the province was in contact with Pfizer about the issue at the time. Chagla says more provinces would have followed Quebec's model of distributing the vaccine from long-term care homes first and hospitals second if they had known the vaccine was stable at fridge temperatures. "It would have helped with decentralizing the vaccine rollout and it took a month or two before we could start [doing that]," he said. "This could have very well started — even for the high risk groups — decentralizing it and really getting it into places where the vaccine is hard to reach." A pharmacy technician prepares a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary clinic at the Woodbine racetrack and casino in northeast Toronto on May 5. The change in storage temperature would also make the vaccine easier to transport outside Canada's major urban centres.(Evan Mitsui/CBC) Temperature changes 'exciting' for developing world While an adjustment to the length of time the Pfizer vaccine can be stored and the more manageable temperatures for distribution could give Canada more flexibility in its rollout, the global benefits could be even more significant. Alyson Kelvin, an assistant professor at Dalhousie University and virologist at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Saskatoon, says the change in recommendations are "exciting." "It will have a global impact, especially in light of the recent problems plaguing AstraZeneca," she said, referring to the rare but serious blood clots that can occur after that COVID-19 vaccine. "The increased stability will allow the Pfizer vaccine to be more easily accessible in remote locations across the world." Chagla says it could also allow for the Pfizer vaccine to be transported more easily to countries experiencing devastating surges of COVID-19, such as India, which recorded the highest number of deaths in a single day of any country on Tuesday. "From a global standpoint it's huge … you could really expand how you do a vaccine campaign globally," he said. "As long as you can transport it to point X and then put it in refrigeration temperature you have a lot more options." Bogoch says we could potentially see this vaccine transported on "the back of a motorcycle" or the "back of a lorry" in smaller clinics in developing nations. WATCH | Distributing aid another hurdle in India's COVID-19 crisis: "This really helps because you can mobilize this vaccine more readily in lower resource settings outside of bigger centres. I think that's the key point," Bogoch said. Kelvin says she hopes the potential change in storage conditions could even bring down the cost of the Pfizer vaccine since ultra-cold temperatures of up to –80 C may not be necessary for shipping. The Pfizer vaccine is estimated to cost about $19.50 US per dose in the United States, a price that Kelvin says is "astronomically" higher than the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine. It ranges from between $2 and $5 US per dose. Have questions about this story? We're answering as many as we can in the comments.

  • Surrey RCMP ask for help locating known gangster

    Surrey RCMP are asking the public for help locating Brother's Keepers gang member Nassem Mohammed, who also has connections to the gang war playing out in the Lower Mainland. The 22-year-old is wanted on multiple warrants of being unlawfully at large, resisting/obstructing police, breach of a release order and driving while prohibited. "Naseem Mohammed is associated with the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict and has a history of involvement with drug trafficking," police said in a statement. "Mohammed has also been a target of violence in the past. As such, the public should be aware that they may be at risk if associating with this individual." Mohammed illegally entered the United States in January but police could not confirm if he has returned to Canada. He is described as a Somalian male, approximately five feet five inches tall with a slender build, black hair and brown eyes. Police say the violence between Lower Mainland gangs has led to 20 homicides and 20 attempted murders so far this year. A recent spate of gun killings have taken place in public spaces during daylight hours. The Vancouver police and the province's gang squad have taken the rare step of releasing the names and photos of 14 men who could be the next targeted in the tit-for-tat gang war. The violent and public nature of the conflict poses significant risks to public safety, and police are warning people — even friends and family — to stay away from them. None of the men on the public warning list have outstanding warrants. Mohammed is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached, say police. Anyone spotting him is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502. Anonymous reports can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or www.solvecrime.ca.

  • Russia offers to help mediate in Armenia-Azerbaijan border row

    DUSHANBE (Reuters) -Russia said on Wednesday it had offered to help mediate demarcation negotiations after Armenia accused Azerbaijan of a border incursion. Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of sending troops across the border last week, highlighting the fragility of a Russian-brokered ceasefire that halted six weeks of fighting between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces last year. Azerbaijan has denied crossing the frontier and said its forces only defended their side.

  • India sets global record for daily coronavirus deaths

    NEW DELHI (AP) — India on Wednesday reported more coronavirus deaths in a single day than any other country at any time during the pandemic, while infections continued to spread through vast rural areas with weak health systems. The Health Ministry reported a record 4,529 deaths in the past 24 hours, driving India's confirmed fatalities to 283,248. It also reported 267,334 new infections, as daily cases remained below 300,000 for the third consecutive day. The numbers are almost certainly undercounts. The previous record for most daily deaths from the coronavirus was set on Jan. 12 in the United States, when 4,475 people died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. With over 25 million cases since the pandemic began, India’s confirmed infections are second only to the U.S. Experts say new infections in India, which had been rising steeply, may finally be slowing. But deaths have continued to rise and hospitals are still crowded with patients. Over the last month, India’s COVID-19 fatalities have jumped six-fold. While megacities such as Mumbai and New Delhi have seen signs of improvement in recent days, there is concern that the virus is spreading through the vast countryside where a majority of the people live and where health care and testing are limited. The situation is particularly alarming in Uttar Pradesh, India's most-populous state with 200 million people, where a court Monday said citizens have been left “at God’s mercy." Even though new cases have been declining over the past week, the state has more than 136,000 confirmed active infections. Government officials are racing to limit the spread of the virus in the state's villages. Teams have reached nearly 90,000 villages and the virus has been detected in about 21,000 of them, the Press Trust of India news agency cited senior health official Amit Mohan Prasad as saying. Health experts say the true extent of the virus is hard to gauge, in part because of weak data, and that the government response has come too late. “The national story hid what was going on in rural India and it continues to be fairly invisible,” said Murad Banaji, a mathematician modeling India’s cases. In many parts of Uttar Pradesh, people are dying of fever and breathlessness even before getting tested for coronavirus. Crematoriums have run out of wood and hundreds of bodies are washing up on the banks of the Ganges River. “The villagers often ignore fever and body ache. Before the relatives can understand what is happening, the patient dies,” said Raja Bhaiya of the nonprofit group Vidya Dham Samiti, which works to raise awareness about the pandemic in the state’s Banda district. Bhaiya said the “only testimony of death in the village is the cries of women and children, and these cries are very frequent now.” India’s vaccination drive is also faltering just at the time when it is needed the most. The number of daily administered doses has fallen by about half over the last six weeks, from a high of 4 million a day on April 2 to around 2 million or less this week. Many states say they don’t have enough vaccine to administer. ___ Banerjee reported from Lucknow. Sheikh Saaliq And Biswajeet Banerjee, The Associated Press

  • U.S. border agency says COVID vax not essential; Canadians could be denied entry

    TORONTO — Canadians attempting to drive across the American border solely for a COVID-19 vaccination, even with a doctor's referral, would be denied entry, the U.S. border agency said on Wednesday. Unlike the Canadian government, Customs and Border Protection said it does not consider a vaccine essential for entry purposes. "Travel for the sole purpose of obtaining a vaccination is not permissible under current travel restrictions," an agency spokesman said. "If a person is entering the U.S. for legitimate travel reasons, as allowed under current restriction guidelines, and receives a vaccine incidental to their trip, it is not part of the overall admissibility determination." The Canada-U. S. border has been closed in light of the pandemic to all non-essential travel. Earlier this week, the Public Health Agency of Canada said it considered driving to the States in a private vehicle for a COVID-19 vaccination on referral from a licensed health-care provider to be an essential medical service. As a result, the agency said such travellers would fall under a quarantine exemption on return if they could show proof of having had the shot and the trip was solely for that purpose. Health Canada did say the decision on whether entry into the U.S. is allowed would fall to American border authorities. Shaun Horton said he tried to travel to New York on Wednesday from Niagara Falls, Ont., for a vaccination appointment just inside the U.S. but was turned back. He said the border agent did not want to see his doctor's letter confirming that the vaccine was medically necessary. Horton, an airline pilot in Canada, said he wanted the vaccination because he's not allowed to wear a mask while the aircraft is in operation. He said he and his co-workers are tested prior to work. "The officer advised that entry solely for the COVID-19 vaccine is not an acceptable purpose as Canada has access to a vaccine, regardless of the supply issues," Horton told The Canadian Press. However, David Musyj, head of Windsor Regional Hospital in Windsor, Ont., said there have been many examples of crossings for a vaccine allowed to happen. "That is why this is so political and needs some clarity and leadership," Musyj said. "We will keep trying to get vaccines into Canada." The surplus in New York State prompted U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins on Wednesday to call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to welcome Canadians seeking vaccines. He noted several border states, including North Dakota, Alaska, Washington and Montana, have allowed Canadian citizens to get a vaccine. "Our Canadian neighbors need more help," said Higgins, co-chairman of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus and the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group. Theresa Kennedy, a spokeswoman for Higgins, said border procedures needed clarification. "Crossing the border for medical appointments is essential," Kennedy said. "The congressman will be advocating that crossing for a life-saving vaccine should fall within that category." On Tuesday, hundreds of Albertans lined up at the Carway crossing for a quick drive into the U.S. for a COVID shot at a clinic put on by the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana. Those going to the clinic were exempt from having to quarantine for 14 days on return. "I was amazed and grateful because it's too slow getting it any other way," said Linda Neilson, of Cardston, Alta. "We're just glad they were able to help us." Musyj, of the Windsor hospital, said he was still pushing for federal approval to allow an organized effort to retrieve surplus vaccines from Detroit and bring them back for use here. Ottawa has said millions of COVID-19 inoculation doses are arriving but supplies remain limited in many areas. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2021. Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press

  • No longer silent, Gulf Arab citizens express anger at Israel

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The ongoing bloodshed in the Gaza Strip has unleashed a chorus of voices across Gulf Arab states that are fiercely critical of Israel and emphatically supportive of Palestinians. The vocal opposition to Israel, expressed in street protests, on social media and in newspaper columns, comes just months after pacts were signed to establish ties with Israel — and complicates government efforts to rally Arab citizens around full-throttle acceptance of the deals. Analysts said the conflict will also set back Israeli efforts to secure more normalization deals with other Arab states, like Saudi Arabia. The criticism has not only put Arab governments that signed the diplomatic accords with Israel in a difficult position with their citizens, it also affirms that the Palestinian cause continues to resonate deeply with people across the Middle East. “No matter what your national priorities are at the moment or regional priorities are at the moment, when stuff like this happens, the Palestinian issue comes back and hits you,” Emirati political analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdulla said. Still, the open calls for Palestinian rights and condemnation of Israel voiced by countless Gulf Arab citizens have largely mirrored official statements from their governments, all of which have condemned the violence in some form. Some have gone further, and Abdulla said he’d hoped the United Arab Emirates' most recent statement calling “on all parties” to cease fighting had been bolder and named Israel as the aggressor. In speaking out, Gulf citizens are challenging the official narratives around normalization with Israel. In Bahrain, civil society groups signed a letter urging the government to expel the Israeli ambassador. In Kuwait, protesters held two rallies and are demanding permission to hold more. In Qatar, the government allowed hundreds to protest over the weekend as Hamas’ top leader delivered a speech. In the UAE, some have openly donned the black-and-white checkered Palestinian keffiyeh on Instagram while others have tweeted under hashtags supportive of Palestinians. Last year, the UAE became the first Arab country in over two decades to establish ties with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan in 1979 and 1994, respectively. It was a brazen move that bypassed the Palestinians, who slammed it as treason and a stab in the back. The UAE's move paved the way for three other countries — Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco — to announce similar pacts with Israel in rapid succession. Immediately after the UAE formalized ties with Israel in September, a tsunami of state propaganda framed it as a new era of peace, religious tolerance and security for the region. Among the general Emirati public, there was little to no visible pushback from citizens when their government announced ties with Israel. Fiery nationalistic figures on Twitter with tens of thousands of followers aggressively cheered the pact, and throughout the current conflict have both defended ties with Israel and made posts mocking Palestinian protesters. But unlike in Western democracies, a lack of protest in the Gulf does not mean acceptance. In the UAE, political parties are banned and political expression is heavily suppressed. “The show of support that we saw during the early days of normalization, I think it represents something deeper in Emirati society ... and that is that the vast majority support their government,” Abdulla said. “It was a show of support for the government rather than a show of support for ‘normalization’ as such.” Mira Al-Hussein, an Emirati PhD candidate at Cambridge University, said Emiratis feel taken care of and valued by their government, which provides citizens with strong social safety nets. “But that doesn’t mean we feel comfortable by what’s happening around us,” she said. She changed her Twitter handle in support of Palestinians since the fighting broke out, and has used the platform to slam Israel's policies and highlight the atrocities of the war. “You don’t sign papers and expect a human catastrophe to go away,” she said of the accord with Israel. Over the years, there have been changes to school curricula across Gulf Arab states to replace pan-Arab and pan-Islamic ideals with a nationalistic identity that unites people around the flag. The UAE has been trying to mold public discourse around nationalism and a rejection of youth or Islamic movements, said Kristin Smith Diwan, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. “I think the relation with Israel was seen as a way to even cement that further. I don’t know how that’s going to work now,” she said. Al-Hussein said her younger brother, who is in his 20's, never studied the Arab-Israeli conflict in school. But he “just learned about it today from social media," she said. For millions of Arabs, social media is the only space where limited freedom of expression is possible. Since the war began, users have been flooded by images of dead Palestinian children being pulled from the rubble of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. These platforms have also been awash with images of Israeli security forces firing stun grenades and tear gas at worshippers and protesters in Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, of Palestinian families fighting eviction from their homes and of deadly protests across the occupied West Bank. At least 217 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including 61 children and 36 women. More than 1,440 people have been wounded. Twelve people in Israel, including a young boy and a soldier, have been killed in Hamas rocket attacks. Bader al-Saif, a Kuwait University professor, said “the sheer un-proportionality” of the conflict has pushed many people to speak out across the Gulf. “For Israelis to feel secure, they need to feel that they are accepted,” al-Saif said. “That feeling of acceptance cannot be complete without them dealing with the Palestinian issue.” U.K.-based Saudi scholar Madawi Al-Rasheed, a fierce critic of the Saudi government, said despite the kingdom's widespread crackdown on activists — most of whom are steadfast supporters of Palestinian rights — the outrage expressed by many online reveals the gap between the cautious push by the Saudi leadership to inch closer to Israel and public sentiment in the streets. “It shows that despite several years of adopting a normalization discourse in official Saudi media, the pulse of the people is actually not diverted from the Palestinian cause,” she said. ___ Follow Aya Batrawy on twitter at https://twitter.com/ayaelb Aya Batrawy, The Associated Press

  • Saskatchewan wildfire grows, forcing evacuations in the area to expand

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — Dry conditions and strong winds caused a large wildfire to grow Tuesday near Saskatchewan's third-largest city even as firefighters fought the flames. "The fire continues to rage," said Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne. The wildfire had forced people from at least 50 homes by late Tuesday afternoon. "This is a fast-moving fire and residents and the public are advised to avoid the area," the city said in a release. The city of about 40,000, about 140 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, is no stranger to wildfires, but Dionne said this blaze was worryingly close. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said the fire began about four kilometres northeast of Prince Albert on Monday afternoon. The cause was still being investigated. It quickly grew with unseasonably high temperatures and strong winds. A state of emergency was declared for Prince Albert and the Rural Municipality of Buckland later in the day. The fire had grown to about 40 square kilometres Tuesday, although it appeared to be moving away from the northern edge of the city. Dionne said the blaze had also jumped Highway 55. He said no homes or other structures had so far been destroyed. Steve Roberts, with the safety agency, said the blaze remained uncontained. "Our weather will not be favourable,” he said. The daytime high for the city was nearing 30 C on Tuesday. An expected temperature drop later this week would make a significant difference, Roberts said, although he added that getting the fire under control was days away. The fire caused a significant power outage in numerous communities far north of Prince Albert. Joel Cherry with SaskPower said 10 transition structures were damaged and many were burned to the ground. About 9,000 customers were without power, including those in Waskesiu, Meath Park, La Ronge and Stanley Mission. Cherry said there were extra challenges to restoring power. One transmission line serves the entire area and crews had to get to the area by helicopter. "Logistically it takes time to respond to something like this." This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2021. — By Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg The Canadian Press

  • Independent economic report pushes back against Greene report, offers alternative vision of N.L.'s future

    Jessica McCormick, co-facilitator of People's Recovery, says if an austerity agenda is tabled more people will be driven toward the social programs that the province's taxation system then needs to pay for.(Mike Simms/CBC) A new economic report, released as an alternative to The Big Reset, is offering up a different vision of how to knock down Newfoundland and Labrador's debt by rejecting cuts and austerity measures, and focusing instead on taxes and other initiatives. "We don't need to slash. There are other solutions to the deficit," reads the People's Recovery report, released Tuesday. The 50-page report was created by a team independent from Premier Andrew Furey's economic recovery team chaired by Moya Greene, which released The Big Reset on May 6 with recommendations for deep cuts and other measures to help the province climb out from under its current fiscal crisis. People's Recovery co-facilitator Jessica McCormick told CBC News her group wants to talk about paying down the province's debt and deficit in a way that doesn't harm people and communities who rely on social programs and public services. "When we enact austerity measures, which is a lot of what's found in the Greene report, we know that the people who are harmed most by those measures are the folks who rely on social programs," McCormick said. "So if we extend an austerity agenda in Newfoundland and Labrador, we'll likely be driving more people toward the social programs that our taxation system needs to pay for, and that's why we need to balance both of those approaches in economic recovery." The People's Recovery report suggests a series of tax increases over cuts to programs and services. (CBC) Push back against Thatcherism The report says major spending cuts would have a "tremendously negative impact" on children, students, parents, patients, seniors, and workers — especially women, which the report says makes up 71 per cent of teachers and 80 per cent of health professionals in Newfoundland and Labrador. The report continues on to say major cuts would put people out of work, while also hurting businesses that provide government with goods and services. "The concerning theme throughout the Greene report is that kind of dated, tried, tested and proven to not work ideology of Thatcherism — essentially, that we need to cut and gut and slash public services in order to address the deficit ... we just don't feel that that is the way forward," McCormick said, referencing the 1980s conservative politics of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. "There are difficult choices that need to be made, but those choices and those cuts shouldn't be borne by the most vulnerable people in our society. We've proposed revenue measures that can address the structural deficit but not harm working people. " The process to create the People's Recovery report started five months ago, when a group of more than 60 people — including labour leaders, academics and activists — felt they weren't represented by the premier's economic recovery team. Among the report's contributors is union leader Mary Shortall, who left the premier's team in January after raising concerns over what she said was a lack of collaboration and transparency. Tax increases and ideas The People's Recovery report does offer ideas toward bolstering the province's revenue, among them a series of tax increases. Its recommendations include an HST increase of one per cent, an income tax increase by two per cent in the top two brackets, and a wealth tax with a lower threshold than outlined the Greene report. Further, the report recommends increasing the corporate income tax rate for large corporations by two per cent, extending the six per cent capital tax to all large corporations, working with other governments to eliminate tax competition and the use of tax havens, taxing capital gains the same as wages, as well as an improvement of the carbon tax and energy efficiency. Richard Alexander, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers' Council, says nobody is asking for slashes and cuts across the board, but throwing money at government issues won't fix them.(CBC) "The fact is that the government can fully address the structural deficit, and begin to pay down the debt, without deep spending cuts," the report reads. The report also stands against public-private partnerships and privatization, whereas the Greene report suggests cuts to health, education and selling off the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation. The report said privatizing liquor stores in Alberta and other jurisdictions has been shown to lead to higher consumer prices, as well as larger social impacts such as health problems. "At the same time, government revenues tend to be lower with privatization," the report reads. People's Recovery also dips into Newfoundland and Labrador's poverty, food security and living wage issues, with recommendations on increasing the minimum wage to $15 and protecting and improving public services and programs for people who have already been marginalized by existing social and economic structures. Including all options: Coady Richard Alexander, executive director of Newfoundland and Labrador Employers' Council, told CBC News there needs to be public spending reform, and a modernization of government to provide programs and services in a stable public sector without bankrupting the taxpayers. He said austerity measures will be worse in the future if nothing happens. "The longer that we wait to take action on spending reforms the bigger the hole gets and the harder it is to get out of it," he said. In a statement to CBC News, Finance Minister Siobhan Coady said the province is undertaking "a robust consultation process" to discuss the recommendations made in the Greene report. Coady said the provincial government is considering all views and opinions, including those of the People's Recovery. "We thank them for their work to date and we look forward to continuing the conversation on the future of Newfoundland and Labrador," Coady said. Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

  • Windsor-Essex sees 70 new COVID-19 cases, biggest rise in a month, and 1 death

    A day after reporting the lowest COVID-19 case increase since late March, health officials for Windsor and Essex County reported the biggest daily uptick in nearly a month. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) said Wednesday that 70 more residents have recently tested positive for COVID-19, compared with 16 on Tuesday. According to Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health, the sudden increase was not due to any known delay in receiving testing data. "Some of these things that we are seeing, it could be a result of a gathering or an event that we still have to investigate," he said, adding the health unit is coming across "information gaps" in cases. "Maybe people are not sharing all of the information or everything that they have done." The health unit also announced COVID-19 has claimed another life in Windsor-Essex: a woman in her 70s who lived in the community. Officials could not comment on whether she had received a vaccine. She is the 422nd person to die after being diagnosed with COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex since the pandemic began. As of Wednesday's update, 61.5 per cent of adults in Windsor-Essex, or 209,440 people, have received at least one dose of a vaccine. The day before, the health unit opened up vaccination appointments to all adults, as well as essential workers 16 and up and people 12 and over with some health conditions. Appointments can be booked at WEvax.ca Ahmed gave a reminder that public health measures must be followed, even by anyone who has received one or two shots. Currently, it's not definitively known whether people who are vaccinated are able to transmit the virus, he said. "We have to learn more from the real-world data to understand it better." Overall, 358 known COVID-19 cases were active locally. Of the new cases announced Wednesday, 25 were close contacts of previously confirmed cases, 13 were community acquired, two were outbreak related and 30 were under investigation. The Southwest Detention Centre remains in outbreak, and nine outbreaks are ongoing at workplaces: Four in Windsor's health-care and social assistance sector. One in Lakeshore's health-care and social assistance sector. Two in Windsor's manufacturing sector. One in Windsor's mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector. One in a retail setting in Windsor. COVID-19 in Sarnia-Lambton, Chatham-Kent On Wednesday, health officials in Sarnia-Lambton reported 16 new cases of COVID-19, though the active case count, at 71, has fallen by two cases since Tuesday. Chatham-Kent Public Health reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, with 37 cases active overall. One more person living in the municipality has died due to COVID-19, bringing the pandemic death toll to 14.