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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday – CBC.ca
The latest:
South Korean officials are expressing cautious hope that COVID-19 transmissions are beginning to slow, after battling the country’s worst wave of infections for weeks.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Tuesday reported the country’s lowest daily jump in about two weeks at 1,372 cases.
Officials have been enforcing the strongest social distancing restrictions short of a lockdown in the capital of Seoul and other large population centres, including banning private social gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m.
A senior health ministry official pleaded for citizens to remain vigilant ahead of next month’s Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving, when millions usually travel across the country to meet relatives.
Less than 30 per cent of South Korea’s population have been fully vaccinated.
-From The Associated Press, last updated at 7 a.m. ET
What’s happening across Canada
What’s happening around the world
As of late Tuesday morning, more than 217.3 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracking tool. The reported global death toll stood at more than 4.5 million.
In the Americas, Brazil recorded 10,466 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 266 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said late Monday.
In Europe, the president of the European Union’s executive arm said the 27-nation bloc has reached its goal of getting 70 per cent of the adults in the EU fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by the end of the summer. In a message posted Tuesday on Twitter, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen thanked people for making this “great achievement possible” but noted that more needs to be done.
Germany, meanwhile, is organizing a special week-long vaccination drive to increase uptake amid concerns about declining demand for COVID-19 vaccine shots. The government said Tuesday that vaccinations will be offered without appointments at easily accessible sites such as sports clubs, fire stations and pharmacies during the week of Sept. 13-19.
In the Middle East, Israel’s Health Ministry reports that the country has set a new daily record for diagnosed coronavirus cases as the delta variant surges. The Israeli government registered 10,947 new cases on Monday, two days before 2.4 million students are scheduled to return to school this week. The country’s previous pandemic record of 10, 118 new cases was set on Jan. 18.
Israel is home to one of the world’s fastest vaccination programs. The country is offering third booster shots to it’s entire eligible population, requiring masks indoors and promising better enforcement of safety measures. Nearly 6 million of Israel’s 9.3 million people have received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Nearly 2.2 million have received a third shot.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Australia said it has reached a deal with Singapore to acquire 500,000 doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine next week in return for delivering the same number of shots to Singapore in December. Half of Australia’s population is locked down due to an outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus that began in Sydney in June.
In Africa, South African scientists have detected a new coronavirus variant with multiple mutations but are yet to establish whether it is more contagious or able to overcome the immunity provided by vaccines or prior infection.
-From The Associated Press, Reuters and CBC News, last updated at 11:55 a.m ET
News
1 dead, 2 critically injured after car crash in Montreal
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Three people are in hospital with critical injuries after their vehicle crashed into a tree. Police believe they might be connected to two drive-by shootings that took place early Thursday morning.
2 drive-by shootings also took place overnight
Urgences-santé say one person died and two others were critically injured after their vehicle hit a tree in the Rosemont neighbourhood.
Montreal police believe the crash may be linked to two drive-by shootings early Thursday morning.
The first happened around 5 a.m. on Pie-IX Boulevard. Police say a car was shot at repeatedly and the driver, a 41-year-old man, was injured in the upper body. He was transported to hospital, but his life is not in danger, say police.
Shortly afterward, shots were reported in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough, near the intersection of Saint-Joseph Boulevard and Henri-Julien Avenue. No one was injured.
Police say they are investigating to determine if there is a connection between the collision and the shootings. Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant says it’s possible those in the vehicle were involved in the shootings.
The province’s independent police watchdog is now involved.
with files from Chloë Ranaldi
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Pakistan airline crew sought asylum in Canada: spokesperson – CTV News
Typically, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendants who arrive in Toronto stay at a hotel overnight, meet back up with their crew the next day and then fly to their next destination.
But increasingly often, PIA attendants aren’t showing up, the airline says. According to PIA, at least eight flight attendants disappeared over the last year and a half.
They have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Increased occurrences
Abdullah Hafeez Khan said at least eight flight attendants “have gone missing” after flying to Pearson International Airport in Toronto. He said these incidents have been happening over the last 10 years, but are now occurring more frequently.
“Since probably October of 2022, the number of the people that have opted asylum has increased tremendously,” Khan said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca from Karachi, Pakistan, where the airline is based.
“None of those crew members that disappeared in the last one-and-a-half years have come back. So they were granted asylum for one way or the other, and that probably has encouraged others to do so.”
The missing employees were fired immediately and lost their company benefits, Khan said.
Why did they flee?
Khan said he could only speculate as to why the flight attendants would flee.
The Canadian government underscored the volatile situation in Pakistan, warning in a travel advisory of a “high threat of terrorism,” along with threats of civil unrest, sectarian violence and kidnapping.
“The security situation is fragile and unpredictable,” the Canadian travel advisory reads. “Incidents are typically attributed to extremism, ethnic divisions, sectarian strife, regional political disputes and the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan.”
It added that many deaths and injuries have occurred from bombings, shootings and other terrorist attacks at a wide range of targets.
Since Khan isn’t in contact with any of the missing employees, he says, he assumes they decided to seek asylum in Canada for economic and social reasons.
“So I naturally assumed that all of them have been given asylum because I don’t think they would be living there illegally,” he said, adding they may already have family connections in Canada who can support them.
‘PR crisis’
Khan called the flight attendants’ disappearances a “PR crisis” for PIA that is “bad” for business amid a crew shortage.
The airline is in talks with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Pakistani law enforcement agencies to potentially create a “legal safeguard” to curtail flight crew from seeking asylum, he said.
When asked about the PIA flight attendants’ disappearances, Erin Kerbel, spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said the department couldn’t comment on specific cases due to privacy legislation.
In response to questions about PIA’s claim that discussions are underway about the issue, a spokesperson for the CBSA said it could not confirm any information.
“The Canada Border Services Agency does not provide comment or details on specific individuals, including any discussions that would take place with airline companies, as an individual’s border and immigration information is considered private and protected by the Privacy Act,” Maria Ladouceur said in an email to CTVNews.ca.
Since the crew members’ disappearances, Khan said, the airline has “done numerous things to curtail that.”
For instance, the airline is only staffing Toronto-bound flights with crew members who have “established linkages” in Pakistan, such as children, spouses or parents, as well as those who have worked in the organization for more than 15 years.
The airline avoids sending to Toronto those who are single or don’t have established family ties in Pakistan, he said.
Khan said he and the airline are no longer in contact with the flight attendants because, they discovered, they usually change their phone numbers soon after disappearing in Toronto.
Who disappeared?
The PIA flight attendants who vanished in Canada are seasoned pros in their late 30s or 40s, some of whom have worked for the airline for as long as two decades, Khan said.
“There was never any sign from them that they would seek something like that,” he said. “So that is something that is bothering us in the matter because working with people who have been working with you for a long time and then something happens like this is pretty unexpected.”
In one of the latest cases in February, the crew members were waiting to take the bus back to the airport from the hotel in Toronto and one of the flight attendants didn’t show up, Khan said.
The airline was unable to reach the flight attendant on her cellphone or hotel landline so, Khan says, they asked hotel management to check if she was OK.
“When the crew went there, she left her uniform there with a note saying, ‘Thank you PIA,'” Khan said, which he interpreted as a genuine sentiment of gratitude for her more than 15 years of service with PIA rather than a taunt.
Khan said the crew members who disappeared were “family values people” who had good careers in Pakistan.
Asylum policies
Individuals can make a refugee claim in Canada at a port of entry upon arrival or online if they are already in Canada, according to the Canadian government’s website.
Canadian immigration or border officials will determine if the person is eligible for a hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board. All claimants must undergo health and security screenings, the government says.
If eligible to make a claim in Canada, refugee claimants can access social assistance, education, health services, emergency housing and legal aid pending a decision on their claim. Most can apply for a work permit after a medical examination.
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Alberta's population surges by record-setting 202,000 people: Here's where they all came from – CBC.ca
Alberta smashed population-growth records in the past year, mainly due to people moving to the province from across Canada and around the world.
The province’s population surged to just over 4.8 million as of Jan. 1, according to new estimates released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.
That’s an increase of 202,324 residents compared with a year earlier, which marks — by far — the largest annual increase on record.
Alberta also broke a national record in 2023 for interprovincial migration, with a net gain of 55,107 people.
“This was the largest gain in interprovincial migration nationally since comparable data became available in 1972,” Statistics Canada said in a release.
Most of the interprovincial migrants came from Ontario and British Columbia.
Statistics Canada estimates that 38,236 Ontarians moved to Alberta last year, versus 14,860 Albertans who moved to Ontario, for a net gain of 23,376 people.
Similarly, an estimated 37,650 British Columbians moved to Alberta, compared to 22,400 Albertans who moved to B.C., for a net gain of 15,250.
All told, interprovincial migration accounted for 27 per cent of Alberta’s population growth over the past year.
That put it just ahead of permanent immigration, which accounted for 26 per cent, and well ahead of natural population increase (more births than deaths), which accounted for eight per cent.
The largest component, however, was temporary international migration.
Non-permanent residents from other countries accounted for 39 per cent of the province’s population growth in the past year, reflecting a national trend.
Canada’s population reached 40,769,890 on Jan. 1, according to Statistics Canada estimates, which is up 3.2 per cent from a year ago.
“Most of Canada’s 3.2-per-cent population growth rate stemmed from temporary immigration in 2023,” Statistics Canada noted.
“Without temporary immigration, that is, relying solely on permanent immigration and natural increase (births minus deaths), Canada’s population growth would have been almost three times less (1.2 per cent).”
Alberta’s population, meanwhile, grew by 4.4 per cent year-over-year.
Alberta now represents 11.8 per cent of the country’s population, its largest proportion on record.
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