The hearing to confirm Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, the first Muslim-American woman to be nominated to serve as a federal judge, began in Washington on Wednesday.
If confirmed as the new US district judge for the eastern district of New York, Ms Choudhury would be the first Bangladeshi American and the second Muslim American to serve on the federal bench.
Ms Choudhury's husband, Michael Early, a visual effects producer, her mother and her brothers were present at the hearing.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recommended Ms Choudhury for nomination as a federal judge to President Joe Biden in September.
Ms Choudhury has served as the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and also worked as a lawyer for the ACLU National Security Project and Racial Justice Programme. She is recognised as an expert in civil rights and liberties.
At the ACLU, Ms Nusrat challenged racial profiling, stop-and-frisk policies and the targeting of people of colour for surveillance without evidence of wrongdoing.
Ms Choudhury is one of eight federal nominees Mr Biden has named as he continues to work to diversify the judiciary. The other nominees include two black women, a Latina and a Taiwanese immigrant.
Upon her nomination, Muslim Advocates Senior Policy Counsel Sumayyah Waheed urged Congress to give Ms Choudhury and her fellow nominees a fair hearing.
“American Muslims in particular have not been treated fairly by the Senate confirmation process and we urge members of both parties to avoid attacks based on one’s faith and to avoid spreading harmful anti-Muslim tropes,” Ms Waheed said in a statement obtained by The National.
Ms Waheed cited the rigorous and laborious questioning of Mr Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The Supreme Court nominee faced a gruelling confirmation process that included fending off accusations from Republican senators that she was “soft” on child pornographers as a judge, though her sentencing record is consistent with other federal judges.
“Some of the questions asked by the committee of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson about her faith, for example, came far too close to imposing an unconstitutional religious litmus test on a judicial nominee. The same questions asked of an American Muslim would be even more fraught,” said Ms Waheed.
Zahid Quraishi, the son of Pakistani immigrants, was confirmed by the Senate in June to serve as a federal judge in the district of New Jersey.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The%20specs
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Company%20profile
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
