www.theasianstar.com
Vol 20 - Issue 18
Saturday, June 5, 2021
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BC experts urge caution during reopening, warn of Indian (Delta) variant ‘wild card’ A group of independent B.C. scientists and data researchers is urging the province to take a slow and cautionary approach before reopening further due to a variant that was growing even during the “circuit breaker” restrictions. In its latest bi-monthly report, the B.C. COVID-19 Modelling Group hopes its latest analysis encourages decision-makers
to slow down and scrutinize the behaviour of the B.1.617 variant, now known as the “delta variant.” The scientists are also warning public health officials to fully vaccinate as many people as quickly possible to avoid the rise of the Delta variant, which has seen a concerning resurgence in cases in the United Kingdom and
is threatening that country’s reopening. “The good news is B.C. continues to see the case numbers decline, which his fantastic, but the wild card is B.1.617.2,” said co-author and UBC biomathematics professor Sally Otto. “That variant is spreading in India and really wreaking havoc there.” Continued on page 6
For Indian American Hindus, loving India doesn’t mean holding back our criticism As India suffers through a devastating surge of COVID-19 infections and deaths, the Indian diaspora is experiencing a swirl of conflicting emotions. Our relief in North America, where widespread vaccinations have likely put the worst of the pandemic behind us, is shadowed
New Covid-19 cases in BC fall below 200 for 3rd consecutive day For the first time since mid-October, British Columbia has reported fewer than 200 new COVID-19 cases for three consecutive days. At a live briefing Thursday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said there were 199 new cases in the province, along with two new deaths. It brought the seven-day average for new cases down to 229, the lowest since Oct. 24. Active cases declined again to 2,563. Of the new cases, 68 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 89 were in the Fraser Health region, two were in the Vancouver Island health region, 34 were in the Interior Continued on page 14
by the fear we hear from our loved ones on video calls and WhatsApp. We also hear the rage many feel toward India’s political leaders for their deadly decisions. Faced with a pandemic that coincided with state elections, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
Sister of bride who died of heart attack marries the groom while the dead body lay in next room In a series of unfortunate events, a groom married the sister of his bride after she collapsed and died earlier in the wedding ceremony. The incident happened in Uttar Pradesh, India when a woman named Surabhi and man named Mangesh Kumar were tying the knot in a Hindu ceremony on May 27, according to media reports. During the Jaimala ceremony, the exchanging of garlands by the bride and the groom in an Indian wedding, Surabhi collapsed and a doctor was called to treat her after she suffered a heart attack.
China ‘exporting their authoritarianism overseas’ through Canadian institutions, warns Hong Kong advocate Chinese authorities have been “exporting their authoritarianism overseas” by infiltrating democratic institutions in Canada and elsewhere as a way to stifle criticism of the Communist state, one expert told parliamentarians on Monday. In testimony before the House of Commons special committee on CanadaChina relations, Cherie Wong, executive director of Alliance Canada Hong Kong, warned about extensive efforts by the Communist Party of China in recent years to sway public opinion and deflect
others allowed political rallies to continue despite the impossibility of social distancing. They encouraged dangerous behavior by speaking and interacting with others while not masked.
criticism, even in foreign countries. Chinese leadership has sought to exert control over foreign politicians, academics, media, and other institutions, including in Canada, as part of broader ambitions to grow its geopolitical position, she said. Those efforts have at the same time gone largely unnoticed by the broader public, she said, which has in turn deepened Canada’s dependency on China even as it continues to skirt international rules around human rights or intellectual property.
After the doctor pronounced the bride dead, the families of the bride and groom agreed the bride’s younger sister, Nisha, would wed the groom. In India, the majority of marriages are arranged, an estimated 90%. Radha Patel, founder of South Asian matchmaking site Single to Shaadi, said it’s likely the families arranged for the sister to marry the groom because “they wanted to keep it in the family.” Continued on page 7