Police officers respond to a shooting in a mosque at the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City on Sunday.
ALICE CHICHE/AFP/Getty Images
Police in Quebec City have arrested two suspects following a shooting at a mosque there, which killed six and wounded eight.
According to police, two gunmen opened fire in Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre around 8 p.m., where about 40 people were gathered for evening prayers.
In an early-morning press conference a Quebec City police spokeswoman gave no further details about the suspects, saying the investigation had just begun.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Province premier Philippe Couillard both described the attack as an act of terrorism.
The Associated Press reported Trudeau's remarks:
"We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge," Trudeau said in a statement. "It is heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence. Diversity is our strength, and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear.
"Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country," he added. "Canadian law enforcement agencies will protect the rights of all Canadians, and will make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators of this act and all acts of intolerance."
"Why is this happening here? This is barbaric," the mosque's president, Mohamed Yangui said to reporters, according to the AP.
Yangui was not inside the mosque when the shooting occurred but said he received frantic calls from many who were inside at the time of the gunfire.
Says Reuters:
Incidents of Islamophobia have increased in Quebec in recent years. The face-covering, or niqab, became a big issue in the 2015 Canadian federal election, especially in Quebec, where the vast majority of the population supported a ban on it at citizenship ceremonies.
In 2013, police investigated after a mosque in the Saguenay region of the province was splattered with what was believed to be pig blood. In the neighboring province of Ontario, a mosque was set on fire in 2015, a day after an attack by gunmen and suicide bombers in Paris.
Last June, during the holy month of Ramadan, as the CBC reported, someone also left a pig's head at Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre, where Sunday night's attack took place.
"Tonight, Canadians grieve for those killed in a cowardly attack on a mosque in Quebec City," Trudeau said. "My thoughts are with victims & their families."
NEW DELHI: In what could be sensational revelations for many Indians and a huge embarrassment for the Modi government, the recently released CIA files have claimed that the rightwing Hindu Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) had instigated northern army officers to plot an assassination bid on the country’s first army commander Gen K.M. Cariappa, who was from the southern region of Coorg.
Gen K.M. Cariappa
The revelations were first published in the Hindi daily Jansatta on Friday, but this correspondent corroborated the story with the United States Central Intelligence Agency files that were recently released under President Barrack Obama’s orders.
“Rift in the officer corps of the Indian army,” was the headline of the redacted file dated June 12, 1950.
“An attempt to assassinate General Cariappa, Commander in Chief of the Indian Army, was made during the General’s recent inspection tour of East Punjab. Six persons have been sentenced to death in connection with the plot; several high army officers are believed involved,” the CIA noted.
“General Cariappa as a South Indian is resented by Sikh officers of the Indian Army. The RSS is capitalising on the North-South rift among army officers, whom informant considers treacherous and unreliable, to spread dissension. Officers from Travancore, Maharashtra and Madras are invariably loyal to General Cariappa.”
Another file made public, but whose date has been deleted, carries a photocopy of the Bombay-based Blitz weekly, an erstwhile popular tabloid once considered close to Moscow.
It quotes a CIA researcher as struggling to unravel the standoff between Pakistan and India over Kashmir.
He goes on to ponder if India should opt for temporary military rule as Gen Cariappa had suggested. The general was field marshal in 1965 when he apparently made the remarks. Military officers of both countries went to school together and fought side by side in World War II, the report said. They would be able to resolve the issues dogging them.
According to the Blitz story quoting the CIA researcher, Gen Cariappa had pondered that a short stint of military rule in India would help deal with the communist threat and also tackle regional troubles. The latter issue may have been inspired by his experience in Punjab where he was nearly killed in a plot, which was staged by fellow officers, according to the CIA.
Gen Cariappa belonged to the Coorgi region of proud soldiers, which is now part of the southern state of Karnataka. He is idolised by the Coorgis as a great national hero.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi credits his political moorings to his training as a member of the RSS. He was campaigning in the poll-bound Punjab on Friday. Former army officers have been fielded by several parties in Indian elections.
A former Sikh army chief is one of the candidates for the ruling coalition of Bharatiya Janata Party and Akali Dal in the assembly polls due on Feb 4.
The RSS is the ideological fountainhead of the BJP and it denies periodic charges of having a role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
To view Dawn.com's compilation of extracts from the declassified CIA documents, click here.
The Keurig machine has completely revolutionized our morning routines. Now, we can all have whatever flavor we’re craving, and have it in a flash. The morning rush around our house is now (dare I say it?) almost pleasant – but at what cost?
Those little pods are not cheap, usually costing between $.65-.90/cup. So we’ve been on a mission to find consistently good and low priced k-cups. Yes, we could scour coupons, dig for deals that occasionally come up, however we’re trying to find a convenient and consistent low priced good cups of coffee.
Our mission to find the most affordable alternatives that doesn’t require any sacrifice of flavor. Here are our Top 3 suggestions.
1. The Gold Medal Goes to Angelino’s Coffee
Easily, Angelino’s Coffee is our favorite k-cup alternative. Of course, we might not have even figured that out if it weren’t for the fact that the Los Angeles based company offered a killer sampler pack with a trial deal. 12 assorted coffees arrived, offering a delightful mix of dark and medium roasts, flavored blends, and some decaf thrown in for good measure.
Once your sample kit arrives, you’ll be able to choose the ones you like and the ones you can live without. Then, you just log on to the website where you created the free trial, order only those flavors you enjoyed and set yourself on a regular delivery schedule. At the end of the day (and after free shipping) the cups are as low as $0.39US each delivered Free.
You can also start and stop your deliveries as needed and canceling your account is a one-click process. Combining the price savings and the stellar customer service, Angelino’s Coffee emerged as the clear winner.
2. The Silver Medalist Is Ekobrew
Instead of selling pre-filled k-cups, Ekobrew instead is a k-cup filter that you can reuse as many times as you’d like – filling it with whatever brew you prefer. While this does open up many new possibilities, the biggest drawback to the Ekobrew is the loss of the convenience. It took a bit longer from “I think I want to have a cup of coffee…” to actually drinking one.
However (and this is a pretty big deal) the biggest benefit of the Ekobrew and other similar filter options is the decreased environmental impact. K-cups and the Keurig movement have been declared the most “wasteful form of coffee.” Ultimately, these two balance each other out.
Price is another big win. This option has an estimated price tag of $0.20-0.25US per cup, and could be brought down even lower depending on the total life and operating time of the filter.
NOTE: Keurig 2.0 owners who have attempted to use other or older k-cups with no success, have no fear. There is a simple fix (it’ll take you less than five minutes) that will let you work around it. Just search “Keurig hack” on YouTube or check out this one.
3. The Bronze Medalist Goes to My-Kap
My-Kap is another alternative that falls somewhere in the middle previous two options. It’s not a filter, but a $3.00 US cap that you can use on any k-cup that transforms it into a filter. You just open a k-cup, use as normal and then save it, add on the My-Kap and fill with whatever fresh ground blend you’re in the mood for. While these little guys don’t last forever, even reusing one cup one time decreases the cost and landfill impact.
Regardless of which alternative option you ultimately select, the potential economic and environmental savings are tremendous. Do you have a trick or suggestion you’d like to share? Comment or contact us – we’d love to hear all about it!
Hmong woman seeks equality through dialogue usa today
Mark Treinen, USA TODAY NETWORKPublished 10:26 a.m. PT Jan. 27, 2017 | Updated 10:43 a.m. PT Jan. 27, 2017
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Maysee Herr of Wausau, Wis. on her participation in the city's Toward One Wausau project.
As Americans, we are a diverse population. Historically, we have embraced that diversity as what brings us together and truly makes us one nation encouraging all to seek life, liberty and happiness. By sharing our individual differences and finding commonalities, we can work to unify the nation. One thing unites us: We are all Americans. Each week, this series will introduce you to an exceptional American who is making a difference to unite, rather than divide, our communities.
WAUSAU, Wis. - Maysee Herr saw a need to bring people together. A summer of racial tensions threatened to divide her hometown, and she felt her voice could make a difference.
She became a founding member of a new community dialogue project called Toward One Wausau, which sprang up in the wake of heated debate over the treatment of a Southeast Asian teenager convicted of stabbing another boy to death in a street fight. Dylan Yang, who was 15 when he killed 13-year-old Isaiah Powell, shares a Hmong heritage with Herr.
The Hmong are an ethnic group that fled persecution in their homeland after aiding American troops in the Vietnam War era. Thousands have settled in the central Wisconsin community of Wausau, which had been more than 95 percent white prior to the arrival of Hmong and Laotian refugees starting in the late 1970s.
Dylan Yang's conviction in adult court stirred Hmong Americans across the nation to protest on social media, in letters to authorities and finally in a march to the courthouse and police station in Wausau. The protest was meant to promote peace and justice, and to call for leniency, but it quickly elicited fear and anger among those who believed marchers had unjustly targeted police and prosecutors for doing their jobs.
Herr, who grew up in Wausau and went on to become a college professor, was torn between her own concerns about injustice and her desire to teach and heal. She and others who shared her mission formed Toward One Wausau to encourage people of all backgrounds and beliefs to "talk openly, listen earnestly" and to better know their neighbors.
Toward One Wausau has grown to include active involvement from local police and school administrators, the local newspaper and public radio affiliate, the nonprofit Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service, social justice advocates and representatives of African-American, Hispanic, Hmong and Native American groups, among others. The group has researched racial disparities in Wausau and conducted a survey on attitudes and perceptions, and plans to launch a series of public deliberations in the spring to involve more people in the community and get them talking.
Maysee Herr
Location: Wausau, Wis.
Age: 40
Profession: Associate professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Mission: To bring together community members from all walks of life to talk openly, listen earnestly and act in unity so that Wausau is a safe, welcoming and attractive place for everyone.
Q&A with Maysee Herr
Maysee Herr grew up the daughter of refugees from war-torn Laos. She has a doctoral degree in curriculum studies and early childhood education from Indiana University and taught in Indianapolis before returning to her hometown of Wausau, Wis. She is now an associate professor of education and a founding member of the Toward One Wausau unity project.
What does it mean to be an American?
To be an American means being able to express my thoughts and ideas freely but responsibly. It means having the right to stand tall and being able to pursue whatever dreams I wish even when the path isn’t always easy.
What moment touched and motivated you to take part in this effort?
I’ve always felt that this type of effort was needed. However, there have been many national and local challenges related to race that have made me realize there is an urgency for this type of effort.
What gives you hope and what concerns you?
Efforts such as the Toward One Wausau project are giving me hope for a more open and equitable community. What is most concerning to me is when people aren’t willing to try putting themselves in the shoes of someone else to try understanding their experiences. When we aren’t open to listening to one another, we remain static as a community and not much changes.
What do you hope to accomplish through your efforts?
If something I say or do can encourage someone to also take a stand for understanding and equity in the community, I will have done my job. As an American, we all have a responsibility to help build a better community for every one of its members and to spread hope where there is none.
NOMINATE AN AMERICAN
Who are your American heroes? Share stories and nominees at onenation.usatoday.com or via email to onenation@usatoday.com or post a video submission to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram (no longer than 2 minutes, please) with the hashtags #IAmAnAmerican #WeAreOneNation.
