Latest news with #Freier
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Muslim woman attacked in library by suspect who tried to set hijab on fire, Canadian police say
A Canadian Muslim woman was targeted at a public library on Saturday in what police are calling an unprovoked attack by a suspect who attempted to remove and set the woman's hijab on fire. Officers from the Durham Regional Police responded to an assault call at the Ajax Public Library in Ontario, about 50 miles east of Toronto, at around 12 p.m. "Officers spoke with the victim who advised she was in the library studying when she was approached by an unknown female," police said in a news release published Sunday. "The female began yelling profanities at the victim and throwing objects at her head." Police did not clarify which profanities the suspect yelled at the victim. Police said the suspect also tried to remove the victim's hijab, and poured "an unknown liquid on it," before grabbing a lighter and attempting to set the hijab on fire. The victim screamed for help and the library's security intervened, according to police. "The suspect fled the library but was located by officers a few hours later and taken into custody without incident," police said. Kaley-Ann Freier, 25, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with a weapon and three counts of failure to comply with a probation order, police said, adding that "she was held for a bail hearing." It is not clear if Freier has an attorney at this time. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said, adding that 'investigators are required to consult with the Crown Attorney's office to determine whether the evidence meets the legal threshold for hate to be considered a factor.' Durham Regional Police and the Crown Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to get in touch with their West Division Criminal Investigation Bureau. In a news conference held Monday by members of Canada's Muslim community and local Ajax officials, a statement from the victim was read, according to CTV. "I never imagined that a visit to my favorite, quiet corner of the library would turn into one of the most terrifying moments of my life,' the statement read. "I was simply going to study, as I had many times before, when I noticed a woman murmuring and cursing." According to the statement, the woman attempted to ignore this before the suspect began throwing objects at her, and considered speaking to the librarian, but the "situation escalated" before she could. 'I can't stop thinking, 'What if the lighter had worked? What if my hijab had caught on fire?'" the statement read. The victim also shared in her statement that she has daughters who wear the hijab, and fears that this could happen to them has shaken her confidence in the safety of community spaces. Canada is the leading country among G7 nations when it comes to Islamphobia-related deaths in the past seven years, according to Omar Khamissa, the National Council of Canadian Muslims chief operating officer, who spoke at the news conference Monday. "What happened on Saturday could've easily increased that number," Khamissa said. "Canadians need to know this, they need to know this especially right now as we're in an election cycle." Khamissa said he would like to see every party in Canada come up with a plan on how they will tackle Islamphobia and hate ahead of the upcoming elections, which have been moved from October to next month. In a statement shared to his X account, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said what happened Saturday "is not an isolated incident." "Islamophobia is real, it is dangerous, and it must stop," he wrote. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh called the attack "horrifying." "This hate-motivated attack is a reminder that divisive rhetoric is a stain on our country and not part of our Canadian values," he wrote on article was originally published on
NBC News
25-03-2025
- NBC News
Muslim woman attacked in library by suspect who tried to set hijab on fire, Canadian police say
A Canadian Muslim woman was targeted at a public library on Saturday in what police are calling an unprovoked attack by a suspect who attempted to remove and set the woman's hijab on fire. Officers from the Durham Regional Police responded to an assault call at the Ajax Public Library in Ontario, about 50 miles east of Toronto, at around 12 p.m. "Officers spoke with the victim who advised she was in the library studying when she was approached by an unknown female," police said in a news release published Sunday. "The female began yelling profanities at the victim and throwing objects at her head." Police did not clarify which profanities the suspect yelled at the victim. Police said the suspect also tried to remove the victim's hijab, and poured "an unknown liquid on it," before grabbing a lighter and attempting to set the hijab on fire. The victim screamed for help and the library's security intervened, according to police. "The suspect fled the library but was located by officers a few hours later and taken into custody without incident," police said. Kaley-Ann Freier, 25, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with a weapon and three counts of failure to comply with a probation order, police said, adding that "she was held for a bail hearing." It is not clear if Freier has an attorney at this time. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said, adding that 'investigators are required to consult with the Crown Attorney's office to determine whether the evidence meets the legal threshold for hate to be considered a factor.' Durham Regional Police and the Crown Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to get in touch with their West Division Criminal Investigation Bureau. In a news conference held Monday by members of Canada's Muslim community and local Ajax officials, a statement from the victim was read, according to CTV. "I never imagined that a visit to my favorite, quiet corner of the library would turn into one of the most terrifying moments of my life,' the statement read. "I was simply going to study, as I had many times before, when I noticed a woman murmuring and cursing." According to the statement, the woman attempted to ignore this before the suspect began throwing objects at her, and considered speaking to the librarian, but the "situation escalated" before she could. 'I can't stop thinking, 'What if the lighter had worked? What if my hijab had caught on fire?'" the statement read. The victim also shared in her statement that she has daughters who wear the hijab, and fears that this could happen to them has shaken her confidence in the safety of community spaces. Canada is the leading country among G7 nations when it comes to Islamphobia-related deaths in the past seven years, according to Omar Khamissa, the National Council of Canadian Muslims chief operating officer, who spoke at the news conference Monday. "What happened on Saturday could've easily increased that number," Khamissa said. "Canadians need to know this, they need to know this especially right now as we're in an election cycle." Khamissa said he would like to see every party in Canada come up with a plan on how they will tackle Islamphobia and hate ahead of the upcoming elections, which have been moved from October to next month. In a statement shared to his X account, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said what happened Saturday "is not an isolated incident." "Islamophobia is real, it is dangerous, and it must stop," he wrote. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh called the attack "horrifying."
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
T-Mobile Hikes Rates for Legacy Customers. Which Plans Are Affected?
Some T-Mobile customers with older cellphone plans learned yesterday that their bills will see a $5-per-line increase beginning with their April or May bills. This comes after the company raised rates last June on other legacy plans. According to a memo obtained by CNET and written by Jon Freier, president of T-Mobile's consumer group, affected customers were notified on Thursday, March 13, of the rate hike. Only those who received a notice will see the increase. Exactly which plans are rolled into this action remains up in the air. Freier cites the "rising costs over the past several years" as the impetus behind the price push. Other carriers are facing the same headwinds, such as Verizon last December and this January, and AT&T last January and June. Based on T-Mobile's communication to staff, it's unclear just which customers can expect to see $5 tacked onto their lines on upcoming statements. If you received a notification via text or email, T-Mobile's Plan Pricing Update 5LT page states that the change goes into effect April 2 and includes a few FAQs at the bottom. People who subscribe to T-Mobile's current lineup of plans -- Go5G, Go5G Plus and Go5G Next -- will not see this price change. The increase also does not apply to anyone with the company's Price Lock guarantee or a promotional free line on their account; the memo refers to the number of those unaffected by the increase as in the "millions of customers." In a Reddit r/tmobile megathread, customers have been chiming in with which plans they have and whether they received the notification. (In many instances, people say their plans seemed to be unaffected, only to then add something like, "Edit: Never mind, just got the email.") Plans mentioned include: Magenta Max T-Mobile One and One PlusSimple Choice Simple Choice OnePlus Promo Plan Legacy Sprint plans Seemingly contrary to T-Mobile's memo, some people report that their free lines are also gaining the $5 charge -- but that's offset by a $5 credit. Although T-Mobile says plans with "Price Lock" or the "Un-contract Promise" applied are not affected, some customers received the cost increase notification. According to the company's FAQs, the message appears to be that if you don't like the change, you can leave, and T-Mobile will cover some of the costs: "[S]hould you decide to leave now, we will pay your final month's recurring service charge if you let us know within 60 days." The Sprint plans were under an agreement in some states to not raise rates for a period of five years, which expires April 1, according to The Mobile Report; these new increases go into effect April 2. Read more: Our Guide to Switching Cellphone Carriers Even removing current and free plans from the calculation, the number of affected customers is unknown. Apparently last June's increases were not applied to all legacy plans. Freier says in the memo that T-Mobile is completing the initiative begun last year. Freier also says that "no line that received a prior increase will receive an additional adjustment as part of this initiative." So if you saw a $5 increase on your older plan last year, this change will not be added on top of that. The memo notes that some people "who had a price adjustment on products other than smartphones may have an adjustment on an older phone plan." That would include someone who saw a $2 increase last year on a cellular watch plan, for example. This new price increase wouldn't be added on top of that, but the $5 could be applied to another line on that account. Even if the rate increase is applied, T-Mobile says all the existing benefits and rate plan types will remain the same. In the past, people had the option to contact customer support and push back against T-Mobile's attempt to move them onto newer, higher-priced plans, which ultimately led to the company walking back that strategy. But this increase, like the one last year, is automatically added to the affected accounts. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Matildas winger out for rest of ALW season
Matildas winger Sharn Freier has played her last game for Brisbane Roar after the A-League Women club confirmed she will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Speedy left winger Freier, 23, will head to German powerhouse VfL Wolfsburg on a deal through to June 2028 at season's end. But she won't have any further chances to impress before then, after having successful surgery on Monday on the right ankle injured against Perth on January 26. It means the fourth-placed Roar will have to face eight home-and-away games without Freier, plus a potential finals campaign, while she won't play in any type of farewell match. The ankle injury also ruled Freier, who has scored two goals across nine Matildas caps, out of contention for this month's SheBelieves Cup in the US and friendlies against South Korea in Sydney and Newcastle in April. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brisbane Roar FC (@brisbaneroarfc) "Brisbane Roar can confirm the unfortunate news that Sharn Freier will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season after sustaining an ankle injury in round 13 against Perth Glory," the club revealed. "The club wishes Sharn all the best with her recovery." Freier had two goals and four assists this season, and had been a key part of Brisbane's attack alongside twin sister Laini and Matildas stalwart Tameka Yallop. Sharn's bad injury news strikes as Laini relishes news of a first Matildas call-up, after scoring seven goals and two assists in her first professional season to date. The Roar are back in action away to Western Sydney on Sunday.
