Canada rules out terrorism in attack
TORONTO -- Canadian investigators said that Tuesday that there was no link to terrorism in the mass shooting that killed two people and wounded 13 as they continued to review the life of the 29-year-old gunman for clues to what prompted the rampage that targeted diners at restaurants and cafes in a popular Toronto neighborhood.
The gunman, Faisal Hussain, died after an exchange of gunfire with police. His family has said he suffered from lifelong "severe mental health challenges" but they never imagined he would do such a thing. It was not immediately clear whether he took his own life or was killed by police during the attack Sunday night.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Public Safety knocked down suspicions of any links to terrorism.
"At this stage, based on the state of the investigation, which is led by the Toronto police service, there is no connection between that individual and national security," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said.
Investigators searched the low-income apartment that Hussain shared with his parents and siblings on Thorncliffe Park Drive in the eastern part of the city, and removed boxes of potential evidence overnight.
Qatar set to spend $1.8B on U.S. base
Qatar will spend $1.8 billion upgrading the major air base used by the United States for its ongoing military and counterterrorism operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf kingdom said Monday.
Expansion of Al Udeid Air Base, which houses about 10,000 U.S. military personnel, will include new family housing facilities for more than 200 officers and other infrastructure enlargements, along with "operational" improvements, Defense Minister Khaled Mohammed al-Attiyah said in an interview.
The improvements were formally announced at a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday.
According to a background statement from the Qatar government, the contract for 36 F-15 fighter jets "supports 50,000 total jobs and more than 550 suppliers in 42 states." Other recent purchases include $20 million worth of Javelin guided missiles, $700 million in logistics support services and equipment, and an estimated $200 million in weapons systems "which support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States."
Attiya said that Qatar hoped eventually to see Al Udeid declared a permanent American facility.
Congo says Ebola outbreak at end
KINSHASA, Congo -- Congo's latest outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus is over, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday, after a speedy response to limit its spread in remote rural areas and a city of more than 1 million people.
Health experts said the use of a still-experimental vaccine on more than 3,300 people was a major factor in containing the outbreak, Congo's ninth since the hemorrhagic fever was first identified in 1976.
There were 54 Ebola cases, including 33 deaths, in the outbreak that was declared in early May in northwest Equateur province, the Health Ministry said.
The outbreak posed a serious challenge when it spread to the city of Mbandaka and its more than 1 million residents. The other initial cases were in hard-to-reach rural areas without basic infrastructure such as electricity, making the vaccination efforts more difficult.
The city sits on the heavily traveled Congo River upstream from the capital, Kinshasa, and its 10 million residents.
The outbreak was declared over after a 42-day observation period, equaling two 21-day incubation periods, with no new confirmed cases recorded.
A Section on 07/25/2018