UNRWA
At the end of this month, we may have to stop our humanitarian aid operations.


Photo by Ashraf Amra.


With the announcement of funding suspensions, and as war rages on in the Gaza Strip, there is so much at stake:

Shelters for those who have lost everything;

Nutritious meals for empty stomachs;

Warm blankets to fight the cold

Medicines to cure, vaccines to protect;

This is what we do at UNRWA thanks to the unwavering support of many donors.

People in Gaza depend on UNRWA as their irreplaceable lifeline

No other entity can deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need now.

“Over 100 days of war, and we are still providing services to Palestinians...and we will continue.”   UNRWA worker in Rafah, south of Gaza

Did you know UNRWA supports millions of Palestine Refugees outside of Gaza, too? The suspension of funding will have significant implications in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan:

Education for 250,000 children;

Vocational training for 6,000 students;

Access to health care for almost 2 million patients;

Cash assistance for over 900,000 people.

With your support, we will be able to continue our indispensable work to support the people of the Gaza Strip and all Palestine Refugees across the region.

Ours is an appeal for support from the heart. Please help us ensure that our lifesaving assistance continues. No amount is too small. Any contribution you can give will make a difference.


Keep UNRWA Working

#DonateToUNRWA Now


With immense gratitude,

UNRWA Digital Fundraising Team


I want to help now

UK
Reneuron issues administration warning as biotech firm puts jobs at risk

Jon Robinson
Mon, 5 February 2024

ReNeuron Group's shares have been suspended on the London Stock Exchange's AIM.

Biotech business Reneuron Group has warned it could enter administration and is preparing to make redundancies as its shares were suspended from trading.

The AIM-listed company, which is headquartered in Pencoed, Wales, is in a “highly constrained financial position” and that it requires additional financing “urgently, in order to continue as a going concern”.

Reneuron Group added that it has found itself in this position after not being able to secure a “validating, revenue generating industry partnership” or additional equity funding.

As a result, the company said it now needs to put staff at risk of redundancy, initiate discussions with its creditors and establish the precise solvency status of the business.

Shares in Reneuron Group were trading at 3.38p before they were suspended at 2.30pm on Monday, February 5, giving it a market capitalisation of just under £2m.

In a statement issued to the London Stock Exchange, Reneuron Group said: “As also announced in the interim results, potential corporate actions that were under consideration by the board included raising additional equity financing and/or securing a financing facility and/or entering into M&A discussions.

“The group also noted in the interim results that as at 30 September 2023, the group had cash, cash equivalents and bank deposits of £5.1m and that the group’s latest internal projections (assuming no new revenues or funding) meant there was a cash runway to April 2024, ahead of which point further revenues and/or a capital injection would be required.

“In the intervening period, despite great scientific progress having been made in further developing and exemplifying the CustomEX exosome delivery platform and progressing several ongoing third-party business development discussions, the group has not yet been able to conclude a validating, revenue generating industry partnership nor been able to secure additional equity funding.

“Accordingly, throughout the period the group has been carefully managing its working capital, but it is now in a highly constrained financial position and requires additional financing urgently, in order to continue as a going concern.

“In the absence of any additional financing being available in the immediate term, the group now needs to take steps to preserve and maximise value for its creditors.

“Whilst the group continues to explore a number of corporate options, including seeking to realise value for its physical and intellectual assets, the board recognises that in the absence of an immediate injection of capital and in view of the current financial uncertainty, it needs to put staff at risk of redundancy, initiate discussions with its creditors and establish the precise solvency status of the business.

“Should the company fail to achieve a solution in the short term, the board would have no option but to place the company into administration.

“Should administrators be appointed, it is not known how much, if any, value would be returned to shareholders.”

In Reneuron Group’s interim results, for the six months to September 30, 2023, its revenue stood at £157,000 while its pre-tax losses were £3.2m.

For the year to March 31, 2023, its revenue was £530,000 and its pre-tax losses were £6.6m. According to those accounts, the company employed 34 people during that financial year.

Self-proclaimed bitcoin inventor denies forging documents to support claim

Sam Tobin
Tue, February 6, 2024 

Australian computer scientist Craig Wright at the High Court in London


By Sam Tobin

LONDON (Reuters) -An Australian computer scientist who says he invented bitcoin told a London court on Tuesday he had never forged documents to try to prove his hotly-disputed claim, as he began his evidence in a legal battle over ownership of the cryptocurrency.

Craig Wright says he is the author of a 2008 white paper, the foundational text of bitcoin, published in the name "Satoshi Nakamoto".

But the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) has taken Wright to court, it says to stop him suing bitcoin developers and to preserve the open-source nature of the world's best-known and most popular cryptocurrency.

COPA is asking London's High Court to rule that Wright is not Satoshi. It says he has repeatedly forged documents to substantiate his claim, before changing his story when the alleged fabrications are spotted.

Wright, however, denies relying on fake records and has blamed others, including former lawyers and associates, for any inauthentic documents.

The 54-year-old began the first of six days of evidence on Tuesday at a high-stakes hearing which is the culmination of years of speculation about the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto.

COPA's lawyer, Jonathan Hough, asked Wright: "Have you ever forged or falsified a document in support of your claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto?" Wright replied: "No."

"Have you ever knowingly presented a forged or falsified document in support of your claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto," Hough asked. Wright replied: "I have not."

Hough put numerous alleged forgeries to Wright, including an academic paper with handwritten notes which Wright has claimed prompted his decision to use the name Satoshi Nakamoto.

COPA says the document contains a forged timestamp with numbers in visibly different fonts to make it look as if it pre-dates the bitcoin white paper.

Hough said to Wright: "This is a document forged by you as part of the origin myth."

Wright said he did not forge the document, adding: "If I forged that document, it would be perfect."

(Reporting by Sam TobinEditing by Ros Russell)

Ex-mayor Nenshi loathes partisan politics. He may run for NDP leader anyway

CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024 

Then-mayor Naheed Nenshi speaks while Patty Hajdu, the former federal health minister, looks on in 2020. He's currently sizing up a provincial run, to replace Rachel Notley as NDP leader. Notley announced last month she's stepping down.

 (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Former Alberta justice minister Kathleen Ganley kicked off her bid Monday to lead the NDP, stressing her Calgary roots. By this time next week, Edmonton caucus mates Rakhi Pancholi, Sarah Hoffman and David Shepherd will likely have joined her in the race to replace the departing Rachel Notley.

That lineup of leadership candidates has been reported publicly for some time now, and campaign teams have been quietly jostling for support since at least last autumn. With no clear front-runner, it's shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable and interesting NDP leadership contests anywhere in Canada in some time (they tend to be relatively sleepy affairs with little competition or none at all).

But the intrigue that seems to have gripped NDP-land and parts beyond is whether another figure jumps into the fray and injects even more excitement — one who just delivered his own head-turner of a political speech without formally saying a thing about whether he wants this job.

'We will fight!'

Naheed Nenshi, arguably Alberta's most compelling political speaker in recent memory, delivered the address that got folks talking at a Calgary rally against the Danielle Smith government's newly proposed restrictions affecting transgender people.

The former Calgary mayor's voice began with disappointment in the compassionate tone the premier used in her announcement, then he elevated it to a roar as he seethed at her promise to bolster child protection services in case parents react abusively to their outed teens.

"Let me tell you what that means — what that means is 'we'll deal with y'all later,'" he told some 1,000 protesters. "Later after you've been beaten up. Later after you've been kicked out of your house … later after you've died by suicide. Later is not good enough. We protect everyone, we protect every kid, and we protect them right now."

He closed his nine minutes by leading rally-goers in a chant: "We will fight! We will win!"

No less a figure than Nenshi's own sister suggested it should serve as prelude to an NDP leadership bid.

Helen Pike/CBC

He publicly states he's thinking about it, and that appears true. Nenshi and politicos from his municipal life have for weeks done meetings and phone calls with New Democrats and other progressives, gauging their interest in the idea of the politician with the purple trademark seeking the orange crown.

The rally could have galvanized his own interest in three more years of more rabble-rousing speeches full of Smith critiques, before the 2027 Alberta election. Then, if this leadership contest is as focused as it appears to be on setting the NDP on track to win that election, why wouldn't progressives flock behind a three-term mayor who would take on the job with instant name recognition and debating chops to take on Smith?

But behind the scenes, the questions determining if he runs will likely have two varieties: does the party want him, and does he want the party?

Nenshi's nonpartisan or post-partisan philosophy has embodied his purple branding, a mixture of Liberal red and Conservative blue (little thought was given to orange). Even when he endorsed Notley's party in the last election, it was a "loan" vote, and he offered praise mixed with much criticism of past NDP positions.

"I need to engage with politics and elections fluidly and based on the context of the moment, as well as who is running," he wrote last May in an endorsement column.

He revelled in the fluidity of city politics. As mayor, he wasn't leader of the 14 other councillors, and could variously appeal to the conservative members or liberal members for votes to ensure passage of his initiatives. (Or, sometimes, he wasn't persuasive or crafty a politician enough to win those votes.)

Were he to run and become NDP leader, he'd suddenly find himself at the helm of a 38-member caucus of elected partisans — some not much newer to the system than he would be, but many who are longtime and loyal New Democrats.

It's grown from the union-oriented party it used to be. The 2014 leadership race allotted 25 per cent of its votes to organized labour, but this spring's contest won't. There's still an unabashedly and consistently left-of-centre tradition that Nenshi would likely have to abide by.

Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

There's policy consistency and message discipline a party leader must instill (and enforce) in his team, and he's previously enjoyed not even having that rigidity himself, sometimes on council arguing around both sides of an issue before eventually landing somewhere.

Four years ago, while he was still mayor and I wasn't at CBC, I asked Nenshi how he'd manage the expectations of a partisan political system at the federal or provincial level. He suggested he didn't need to change to fit that mould — maybe the combative system itself needed to change, and he could help forge a "new model" of politics.

"You're working out of a paradigm of the way it works now. Maybe it could work differently in the future," he said in that interview.

Nenshi had chafed against partisanship and ideological rigidity at city hall, and he couldn't fix that. Inserting himself into an established UCP-vs.-NDP slugfest and trying to transform it on the fly is a big ask. But would asking him to conform to it be equally daunting?

The former mayor would have to revive a political network that last sought votes and donations in 2017 — and features many moderate conservatives who might blanch at buying an Alberta NDP membership that includes a stake in Jagmeet Singh's federal party. He'd have to build an organization in Edmonton and elsewhere; and he'd have to get assurances that the MLAs would be comfortable with him as leader, whether or not they've already chosen another hopeful to support.

Nenshi would need special permission from the NDP to run for leadership if he has not been a card-carrying member for six months, but insiders expect that to be a formality, a rule more designed to keep out rogues who are further astray from the party's political core.

He might also want some guarantees that he'd be able to overtake Ganley as the ranking Calgary candidate, as well as Shepherd, Pancholi. Getting in this contest to risk losing in June's vote may be a disappointing political return.

Thinking, thinking

There's no indication from Nenshi's camp that he's racing into this decision, and almost definitely wouldn't launch anything this week.

As recently as Thursday, he was promoting an apolitical event in support of CBC's Canada Reads on Feb. 18, and has given no indication he's dropping that book debate series set in early March for a different sort of debate. The deadline to sell memberships for the leadership race is April 22 ahead of a June 22 vote, so waiting too long would dampen his chances.

Speaking of dampen, the party faces a dilemma on par with Nenshi's own: what if this outsider doesn't run?

While that decision may come down to his own personal considerations and comfort level, if the most high-profile potential candidate bows out, it might signal to the public that the NDP leadership isn't seen as an exciting political vehicle, or that the party isn't all too welcoming to outsiders.

If he bows out, the contest stands to appear as an all-MLA affair, a hunt for the most viable member of caucus whose name doesn't rhyme with Motley. If Nenshi's entry would bring some national-level sizzle to this race, his absence after much speculation could make it more lukewarm.

Quebec City sets sights on building 150-km cycling corridor by 2034

CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024 

Cyclists make their way down St-Denis Street in Montreal. Quebec City hopes to build a network of cycling paths within the next 10 years to offer more choice to commuters. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press - image credit)

In 10 years, 85 per cent of Quebec City will be served by a cycling corridor that will connect many of the city's 35 neighbourhoods.

Mayor Bruno Marchand unveiled the city's plan for the 150-kilometre cycling network on Tuesday.

He says the city hopes to achieve 60 per cent of its vision in five years — building 90 kilometres of the corridor with a budget of $29 million and starting with the most feasible paths, working section by section.

With a growing city and more commuters on the road, Marchand says this cycling corridor, also known as corridors Vélo cité (CVC) ,will be good for the economy and the environment.

"If we don't find alternatives to help people commute how they want to, we are done for. That means people driving will spend more time in their car," said Marchand.

"So the drivers who say when we announce a cycling project or active transport project that it's not for them, they're wrong. It is for them."

The city says it wants to ensure 48 per cent of residents are within a 400 metres of a path in the network, which will also connect 77 schools.

The city mapped out the planned cycling paths which will total 150 kilometres and stretch across the city. (Ville de Québec)

'It's really great to see': Vélo Québec

Magali Bebronne, director of programs with the cycling advocacy group Vélo Québec, says this project could encourage people living outside the city centre to turn to cycling.

"Traditionally the utilitarian bike lanes, the ones that really enable people to go places efficiently, were often concentrated in the downtown and in central boroughs," said Bebronne.

"So to have a vision that really allows for all the neighbourhoods to be connected is really a strong point of the plan."

Over the past few years, Bebronne says some municipalities have set up 50-kilometre cycling paths but "didn't offer any kind of security." She says even light infrastructure, such as bollards, can make a difference.

"It's an ambitious plan. It's really great to see," says Bebronne, adding she hopes the plans come to fruition.

"Of course, each time a plan is announced, it's great to see the announcement and then the devil is in the detail. It's about how fast the cities are able to implement it."

Pierre-Luc Lachance and Bruno Marchand presented the city's plan for the 150-kilometre cycling network at a news conference on Tuesday at city hall. 

(Alexandre Vallée-Roy/Radio-Canada)

Network will be for 'cyclists of all kinds': Mayor

Mayor Marchand says the goal is to offer choice, which will be a "win for all commuters on the road."

"To ensure that people can use this means [of transportation] it takes security and it requires comfort and that's what we're moving toward. The role of our city is not to force citizens or say we will choose for you," said Marchand.

"The role we were given as politicians was to offer choices."

Following the construction of the first 90-kilometre network, the remaining 40 per cent of the cycling network will be made up of more complex projects, requiring heavier work, which will be completed by 2034.

He says right now, many people still take their cars, even if their destination is within five kilometres.

"It's not our citizens fault. We're not throwing blame on them. It's the contrary. We are saying to them we will create a city that will allow them to — should they want to — move around in a comfortable manner," said Marchand.

Councillor and vice-president of the executive committee of Quebec City Pierre-Luc Lachance insists that the cycling network will be for "cyclists of all kinds," not just those "with bikes costing several thousand dollars."

"We're focusing on people who go to the library, children who will be able to go to school [by bike]," said Lachance.

The municipal administration will announce at a later date which sections will be developed in 2024 but confirmed its intention to start with the corridor linking Charlesbourg to downtown, which was announced in December. This path will be constructed gradually, in six sections from 2024 to 2026.

Not 'a war on cars,' mayor insists

The city says the choice of corridors is based on analyses of active mobility needs. Feasibility studies will be carried out for each of the various paths in the network and the city says citizens and local stakeholders will be invited to participate to ensure that the project is carried out in a way that reflects the realities of the local population.

Marchand says this project is not "a war on cars" but he does not have information about how existing roadways or lanes will be affected by the cycling network.

"The goal is not to remove lanes and the goal is also not to say we won't get rid of them," said Marchand. "It's to say we will find the best route to maximize its use."

Following the news conference, Stevens Mélançon of Équipe Priorité Québec said there are still details missing.

"The parking lots, the impact on the streets, the impact on everything [relating to] the environment, the routes," he said. "The intention may be good, but there are a lot of unknowns.".

Jackie Smith, a municipal councillor and the leader of Transition Quebec, says this project will complement the public transport network.

"It was essential to have a long-term vision of a network covering the entire territory, and this has now been achieved," said Smith in a statement.

"There's no doubt in my mind that with this infrastructure, the number of four-season cyclists in Quebec City will grow rapidly, and the whole community will benefit."

Yukon skier makes history with 'sensational' upset win at world championship meet

CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024 

Sonjaa Schmidt of Whitehorse, after winning gold in the women's sprint event at the U23 Nordic World Ski Championships in Slovenia on Tuesday. Her win was considered the 'surprise of the meet so far,' said one commentator. 

(Borut Živulović/BOBO/Graeme Williams - image credit)

A young cross country skier from Whitehorse has been proclaimed a "star in the making" after she unexpectedly made history by winning gold at a world championship meet this week.

Sonjaa Schmidt, 21, was not favoured to win the women's sprint at the U23 championship — in fact, she barely qualified for the quarterfinal heats at the event in Planica, Slovenia.

Once in the quarterfinal, though, Schmidt was unstoppable — cruising to the semifinal, and then the final where she turned heads by powering her way to the front of the pack just before reaching the finish line.

"How about that! She's beaten all the favourites ... It's Sonjaa Schmidt who's sprung the surprise of the meet so far," proclaims the broadcast announcer, calling the race for FIS Cross Country.

"Suddenly the Canadians have a star in the making ... sensational!"

The surprise win marks the first time Canada has won gold in a U23 Nordic World Ski Championship women's event.

"I felt lucky to have qualified in the first place," Schmidt told CBC News later on Tuesday.

"Then I think I just told myself, you know, that I have the same amount of chances as everyone else to win. And I tried to stay calm and just race the way I normally do, make moves where I can, rest where I can. And I think I did a really good job in that."

Alain Masson, a Whitehorse ski coach who works with the national team, and was there to see Schmidt's win, and called it "probably the biggest surprise in cross country ski racing, maybe not ever, but in a long, long time."

"I mean, even the quarterfinal, and the semifinal — it's rare for Canada to have athletes going beyond the quarterfinals ... It's amazing. Like, I think people were shocked."

Masson credits Schmidt's success to "perseverance, self-confidence and just work ethic."

Whitehorse skier Sonjaa Schmidt raises her arm in victory as she cross the finish line in the U23 women's sprint event at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Slovenia, Feb. 6, 2024.

Schmidt raises her arm in victory as she crosses the finish line on Tuesday. (Borut Živulović/BOBO/Graeme Williams)

Schmidt had a challenging year, after being passed over for the national team last spring. That meant she lost some of her funding, according to Masson.

But that setback may have ultimately helped give her an edge. In order to afford to keep her ski career going, Schmidt worked for several months last summer as a tree planter.

"I guess tree planting is a very physical labour — so maybe that's what has paid off for Sonjaa," Masson said.

Masson said Schmidt's surprise win was celebrated by more than just the Canadian contingent in Planica. He said after the race, lots of people from other teams — including those typically more favoured to win — were coming to offer congratulations.

"People were excited. I mean, it's good for the sport to have people from different countries doing well. So I think the Scandinavian countries were quite happy to see a North American on the top of the podium," Masson said.

Schmidt plans to now go visit her grandparents in Germany before getting back into competition at World Cup races in Finland, Norway and Sweden.

She's expecting her performance on Tuesday will earn now her a spot on the national team, meaning she's unlikely to spend another summer tree planting.

"Or maybe I will be — it seems to be the trick!" Schmidt said.

Cree chief pleads for help to end community's wave of violence in open letter to Sask. premier, PM

CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024

Pelican Narrows has been under a state of emergency since last October because of high crime rates. It's among the communities in northern Saskatchewan that struggle with substance addiction and violent crime. (Dayne Patterson/CBC - image credit)

Leaders in a remote Saskatchewan community are calling out for help.

They say residents in Pelican Narrows are living in fear daily because of drug-fuelled violence, stabbings, shootings and suicide, which are the result of historical injustice and geographic isolation.

Registered nurse Sarah Van den Broeck described what it's like to live and work in the remote Saskatchewan community, which is about 420 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, during a news conference Monday.

She says nurses are exhausted from the constant exposure to trauma, oftentimes looking after patients who are victims of gunshot wounds, attacks from machetes, hammers and knives, and domestic violence.

"We feel like we're sitting targets ... we feel that the weapons used — the sawed-off shotguns — cause enough damage, but should a higher-calibre weapon be used for these shootings, we would be seeing murders every day," Van den Broeck said.

"We're trying to call for help before it comes to that."

Registered nurse Sarah Van den Broeck increasingly worried about violence:

Van den Broeck says it's difficult to sleep due to noise from drug houses across the street and continuous blaring. And when she and other residents manage to fall asleep, fireworks celebrating fresh batches of meth usually wake them up.

She adds that nurses don't feel safe going for walks, taking their dogs outside, or even standing on their decks because of stray bullets that might come their way.

Clinic shutting down-non urgent care

John-Michael Stevens, a doctor in Pelican Narrows, said the local health clinic is no longer providing non-urgent care because staff are too busy dealing with emergencies.

He added that fear is increasing among staff because there isn't enough security at the clinic and the number of intoxicated patients — many of whom are using crystal meth, which could lead to them being violent and unpredictable— coming into the clinic are increasing.

"There have been instances where staff have been threatened and staff involvement has been increasing and I know there's a mounting fear among staff of being victim to something," Stevens said.

"We wouldn't want people to think that we're closing down as a statement. It's certainly for the safety of the staff and so that we can continue to provide emergency services to the community."

Stevens has worked in Pelican Narrows for seven years and has felt safe for the majority of that time. He said gun violence started to rise in the community in mid-2022.

"Fairly recently was the first time I actually [felt unsafe], when I left the clinic to walk up to my suite, which is not a very long walk, I felt compelled to look around, " Stevens said.

"I really felt a strange sensation of I better just hurry because who knows there might be a bullet that's just that flies at the wrong time in the wrong place."

Calls for help

In an open letter to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Chief Karen Bird called for a multi-pronged approach around enhanced community safety and mental health supports, as well as additional nurses.

After a year of remaining in a state of emergency, Bird said that the people of Pelican Narrows, which is one of eight communities that comprise Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN), continue to feel vulnerable.

The nation covers more than 50,000 square kilometres and has more than 12,000 members.

"We need the right tools and gear to keep our health-care heroes and everyone else safe. We need law enforcement that's not just showing up after things go wrong but is really part of our community, keeping an eye out and keeping us safe," Bird said.

"We've reached out time and time again with plans and pleas detailed and clear, but the echoes of our cries for help have been met with silence."

Submitted by Matthew Hildebrandt

On Tuesday, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health said the health centre and EMS services in Pelican Narrows are not operated by the SHA but that Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation is contracted to operate and manage the services in the community.

"The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health and the SHA are aware of the ongoing violence within the community of Pelican Narrows and are working with [Indigenous Services Canada] and PBCN to support the community and residents in the area," said an emailed statement to CBC.

Bird says the community is at a critical juncture that will determine its future, well-being and safety of residents.

A proposal to develop a community safety officer program in Pelican Narrows is still waiting provincial approval, but Bird says everything that's being done toward that is being paid for by the nation, including pulling resources from other places.

"Our ancestors, our people, our future generations, they're all watching children — waiting, hoping that this call for help gets answered," Bird said.

Israel arrests Palestinian American woman in the West Bank. Her relatives don't know where she is


JULIA FRANKEL
Tue, February 6, 2024

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces have arrested a 46-year-old Palestinian American woman after breaking into her home and pulling her from her bed in the occupied West Bank, her family said Tuesday, saying they had no idea where she was nearly two days after she was detained.

News of the arrest came just ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's arrival in Israel on a diplomatic mission aimed at forging a cease-fire in Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. Samaher Esmail’s congressman in her home state of Louisiana vowed “to get to the bottom” of her arrest, while the State Department said it was looking into the matter.

Relatives said that Israeli soldiers burst into the woman's house while she was sleeping in the early hours of Monday and pulled her out of bed in the West Bank town of Silwad. A video of the incident posted to Twitter by her son showed soldiers surrounding her and herding her into an armored vehicle.

“They broke into her house and pulled her out, took her out of her bed,” said her brother, 35-year-old Mubarak Esmail, who lives in the U.S. “They didn’t even let her put on her hijab,” or traditional headcovering. He said his sister lived alone and probably did not even hear the soldiers because she takes medication for her uterine cancer that makes her drowsy.

The Israeli military said she had been arrested for “incitement on social media” and taken away for questioning.

Esmail is from Gretna, Louisiana, the same hometown of a Palestinian American teenager who was recently killed by Israeli fire in a nearby village. The death of 17-year-old Tawfic Abdel Jabbar drew an expression of concern from the White House and an uncommonly quick pledge to investigate from the Israeli police. No findings from that investigation have yet been released.

Esmail's family said she often traveled back and forth between West Bank and the U.S., where she managed a family-owned grocery store in Gretna and worked as a tutor at a nearby high school. The family is in touch with U.S. Embassy officials but said they know nothing about her current whereabouts.

Rep. Troy A. Carter, Democrat of Louisiana, said he was “deeply concerned” by the arrest.

“I am in contact with the American Embassy and the State Department to get to the bottom of why she is being held and will continue to gather facts about this ongoing situation. I am praying for her safety,” he said.

A U.S. government spokesperson said the State Department was aware of reports that a U.S. citizen had been detained and was “seeking additional information" about the incident but had no further comment.

Late Tuesday, Blinken arrived in Israel, where he is expected to press ahead with efforts to at least pause Israel's offensive in Gaza and curb violence in the West Bank.

Since the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, Israel also has held the territory under a tight-grip, staging often-deadly raids into cities and villages and arresting dozens of Palestinians, in some cases accused of posting inciting material on social media.

Former U of T imam says he was let go for social media posts he never made, petition calls for reinstating him


CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024 

Omar Patel, an imam who formerly offered chaplaincy services at University of Toronto Scarborough, says the school conducted a flawed investigation that ulmimately led to his dismissal. (CBC - image credit)

A former campus imam alleges he was dismissed by the University of Toronto Scarborough after a social media post he says was falsely attributed to him, and says the school failed to properly investigate.

Omar Patel says the university formally cut ties with him on Jan. 22 after nine years of offering "Islamically integrated" mental health and spiritual care to Muslim students.

"I loved working with the students of U of T, I loved working with administration. I had an extremely good relationship with them, which is why I thought everything was going to be okay," Patel said.

"I thought, the university trusts me, and I trust them to do an investigation."

His dismissal came roughly seven weeks after screenshots of an image related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, allegedly shared on Patel's Instagram stories, was flagged to administrators. Patel denies ever sharing the image and alleges he was unfairly targeted.

The screenshots were sent to administrators by Hillel Ontario, a group that says it "works to amplify Jewish campus life" at nine schools across the province. Hillel Ontario is part of Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world.

The image depicts an Israel Defence Forces soldier, standing with an Israeli flag, mirrored with the same soldier holding the battle flag of Nazi Germany. Two superimposed captions suggest support for Israel is tantamount to support for Nazi Germany and genocide.

The Muslim Chaplaincy of Toronto, which directly employs Patel, has called for him to be reinstated at U of T Scarborough, saying the school's investigation lacked transparency and due process.

Questions emerge about screenshots

On Dec. 1, a U of T administrator sent Patel an email with a screenshot attached, telling him school was deeply concerned. Patel was told to stop going to campus and to postpone counselling appointments with students while an investigation got underway.

"To me, when I saw the image, I was shocked. I was appalled," Patel told CBC News. He said he noticed that the screenshot had no Instagram username or profile picture, which would typically appear in the top left corner of the Instagram stories function.

Patel responded to the school, questioning how the Instagram story could be attributed to him absent his handle or picture.

Five days later, the same administrator sent another nearly identical screenshot, except now the image had both features.

At about the same time, Hillel Ontario posted an open letter on its website, addressed to U of T Scarborough Principal Wisdom Tettey, calling for Patel to be held "accountable." The group said Patel was "spreading lies based on antisemitic blood libel tropes" that could contribute to violence against Jewish people.

Initially, the post included the screenshot without Patel's username and picture. It was then replaced with a screenshot with both. On Dec. 1, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) posted on X, formerly Twitter, directing users to the open letter.

The page has since been removed from Hillel Ontario's website.

Patel said he continued to deny in emails with administrators that he had shared the image. He alleges the second screenshot was altered to "smear" him and questions the 45-day period between the story supposedly being shared and the screenshots being sent to administrators. The story also "tagged" two Instagram accounts that do not appear to exist.

Patel said he believes U of T's investigation was "done in bad faith" and that he's considering legal action.

U of T declines to provide details of investigation

In a statement, Linda Johnston, acting U of T Scarborough principal while Tettey is on leave, declined to provide any further information about the school's investigation.

"We want to be as forthright as possible, but for reasons of confidentiality and people's privacy, we are not sharing more details," Johnston said.

"We continue to offer support to our Muslim students and are striving to ensure there is minimal disruption of services. We are currently looking to appoint a new chaplain," she added.

CBC Toronto also contacted Hillel Ontario with questions about the provenance of the screenshots.

"Since Hamas attacked innocent Israelis on October 7th, Jewish students on campus in Ontario have been subjected to increased antisemitism, the likes of which our community has not seen in many decades," said Jay Solomon, chief advancement officer with Hillel Ontario.

"Hillel received multiple reports and numerous screenshots about a disturbing social media post from the account _omarpatel. Upon receiving those reports, Hillel shared the screenshots in question with the University of Toronto, and asked university officials to investigate the matter."

In response to follow up questions about whether Hillel Ontario tried to authenticate the screenshots, Solomon said he had nothing further to add.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for CIJA said it was a "Hillel Ontario matter that we were not involved in.

"As such, we would not comment," the spokesperson said. CIJA's post remains on its X account.

Patel provided key service for students, employer says

An online petition organized by The Muslim Chaplaincy of Toronto calling for Patel to be reinstated at U of T Scarborough had more than 4,000 signatures on Tuesday afternoon.

Dalia Mohamed, a board member with the organization, said Patel's absence will leave thousands of Muslim students without a valuable resource.

"Wait times on campus for any other mental health supports are at least three months, if not more, and the cost can be pretty high," she told CBC Toronto.

"Being able to provide timely and accessible mental health supports and ones that are spiritually informed, that understand the religious values that these students have, is honestly a one-of-a-kind service on campus for a lot of Muslim students."

Pickering councillor faces backlash after penning op-ed criticizing Black History Month celebrations

I AM NOT RACIST SAYS RACIST

CBC
Tue, February 6, 2024

In an op-ed published this week, Pickering Coun. Lisa Robinson denounced the idea of celebrating Black History Month, saying that 'the race to equality is not the celebration of one race over another.' (Lisa Robinson/X - image credit)

A Pickering city councillor is facing backlash from community members and her council colleagues after penning an op-ed saying she does not support the concept of Black History Month, which led to public outcry and some demanding an apology.

In the op-ed, which was published online Sunday in the Oshawa Durham Central Newspaper, Coun. Lisa Robinson denounced the idea of celebrating Black History Month, arguing that "the race to equality is not the celebration of one race over another.

"We are so hung up on North American history and the historical trafficking of primarily African people that we have lost sense of time and period," she wrote.

"Back in those days society was very different. Today, we have come a long way."

In an email to CBC Toronto Monday, Robinson defended the op-ed, saying her comments were not racist.

"My statement is merely wanting to support unity and equality for all," she wrote. "Instead of segregating people based on their colour, religion, or sexual preferences, we should be celebrating our shared humanity."

'It's insulting and hurtful,' says Black health advocate

Carion Fenn, health advocate and founder of the Carion Fenn Foundation, said this is the latest example of inflammatory sentiment toward marginalized communities. Fenn is demanding Robinson apologize to Durham's Black community.

"We should not have that mindset at council table," she said.

"It's insulting and it's hurtful. It pains us. It brings up the hurt and the pain that we have endured and it continues that trauma that is impacting our health … We need to protect the Black community."

Fenn said she would like to see the city's integrity commissioner investigate Robinson's remarks.

"Statements like these do not represent the Pickering that I know. We can't let her behaviour reflect the overall view of Pickering," she said.

The Womxn of Colour Durham Collective, a youth-led organization, also criticized the op-ed.

"We find the language used deplorable as it in essence waters down the beauty, complexity and power that is Black History," the Collective said.

"It is important that these celebrations continue so as to not ignore the past, but to confront it and be uncomfortable with it."

'Disheartening' to see display of insensitivity: mayor

Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe addressed the op-ed during an executive committee meeting on Monday, where he said the sentiments expressed by Robinson in the piece "run counter to the values we at council have collectively championed.

"Her words have caused concern in our community and in my view [have] hurt our community. As mayor, I'm obligated to address this matter with a degree of urgency," Ashe said.

"It is disheartening to witness such displays of insensitivity towards Black History Month, a time when we should be celebrating the rich contributions of Afro-Canadians to our great nation," he said.

"While I staunchly believe in the principles of free speech that form the bedrock of our democratic society, I must remind Coun. Robinson of the sworn oath taken to respect and abide by the wishes of this council."

MayorKevin Ashe

Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe said Coun. Lisa Robinson's remarks on Black History Month have 'caused concern in our community and ... hurt our community.' (CBC)

Ashe said that the suggestion by Robinson, that recognizing Black History is divisive, is contrary to the principles of equity and inclusion that council upholds.

In response to the mayor's comments, Robinson said, "I would hope that no Black people in Pickering and beyond will feel my remarks were inflammatory or were disrespectful."

Robinson previously docked pay

The councillor's remarks come just a few months after she wasfound to have promoted "homophobic and transphobic" attitudes by the city's integrity commissioner for conduct last May.

In May 2023, Robinson encouraged a crowd at a Durham District School Board meeting to lobby politicians and to attend an upcoming Pickering city council meeting en masse in support of her motions to ban drag shows and pride parades anywhere children could be present, to limit non-government flag raising and to change city policy to mandate people use gender-specific washrooms.

Pickering city council voted to suspend her pay for a period of 60 days as a result — something Robinson told CBC Toronto Monday that she intends to seek a judicial review for, as it was based on "unfounded allegations and distortions of the truth."

Robinson was alsopreviously docked 30 days of pay after another integrity commissioner investigation concluded that one of her Facebook posts was a form of bullying. Robinson referenced that decision in her Sunday op-ed, which was published in print Tuesday. In it, she said she felt that "council was treating me like a modern day slave" for docking her pay.

In 2021, Robinson was a candidate for the federal Conservative party in the Toronto riding of Beaches-East York but got booted after past Islamophobic tweets surfaced.