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Iran: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the confirmation of the death sentence against Jamshid Sharmahd by Iranian court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

The European Union strongly condemns the Iranian Supreme Court’s decision on 26 April 2023 to uphold the death sentence against German-Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd (pictured).The European Union calls upon Iran to refrain from executing the death penalty on Mr Sharmahd, repeal his sentence and ensure Mr Sharmahd be provided the basic rights to which he is entitled under International Law without delay.Mr Sharmahd has been detained since 2020. Throughout his time in detention, Mr Sharmahd has not had access to a lawyer of his choice. Also, Iranian authorities have denied consular access to Mr Sharmahd, despite his German nationality.The death penalty violates the inalienable right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.The European Union calls on Iran to refrain from any executions, to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of capital punishment and to strictly abide by its international...

'Despicable attack against Omar Harfouch, we give solidarity and support'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

"Our friend Omar Harfouch, esteemed member of the Scientificcommittee of our Institute, leader of the Lebanese Third Republic party, man, liberal and moderate, and our guest a little over a month ago for a conference on the future of Lebanon at the Chamber of Deputies, announced today that he risks being arrested if he returned to Lebanon," said Alessandro Bertoldi, executive director of the Milton Friedman Institute.The political authorities in power in Lebanon are said to have issued an arrest warrant against him, without any charges being brought by the judicial authorities, but justifying this arbitrary act with the words "Collaboration with the enemy!!!", and this because Harfouch held a conference in the European Parliament in which - according to them - "Israelis" were presentOmar Harfouch's international campaign for peace, secularism, democracy, freedom and civil rights in Lebanon, as well as his fight against corruption, the sectarian political system and the extremists, h...

Fentanyl deaths skyrocket in Southern California prompting outcry for stricter laws

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

The number of fentanyl-related deaths in California has skyrocketed over the past six years.For comparison, around 230 fentanyl deaths were reported in 2016. Now that number has jumped to nearly 5,800 in 2021 — marking an increase of over 2,000 percent.That alarming number has local leaders and victims’ families speaking out and demanding more legislation, including extra safeguards on social media and stricter penalties for fentanyl dealers."As a mom, this scares the hell out of me,” said Irvine Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris. “As a legislator, I am determined to act."Petrie-Norris is pushing for stiffer penalties for fentanyl dealers caught selling the drug on social media. “The reality is that dealers don't need to lurk in dark street corners or remote parking lots,” said Petrie-Norris. “Now they are connecting with our kids on platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.” Baby found dead in South El Monte park Irvine Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris speakin...

Milpitas: Public’s help sought in identifying attempted arson suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

The Milpitas Police Department released this image of a man suspected of leaving an incendiary device in front of a Bank of America in the 700 block of East Calaveras Boulevard on Friday, April 28, 2023. Police said he left the scene in a newer maroon Honda Accord. MILPITAS — Authorities are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who left an incendiary device in front of a Bank of America in Milpitas on Friday afternoon.The incident was reported around 2:40 p.m. in the 700 block of East Calaveras Boulevard.The man placed the incendiary device on the ground, lit it on fire and left the scene in a newer maroon Honda Accord, the Milpitas Police Department said in a statement.The device was extinguished before anyone was injured or property was damaged, police said.The man was described as light-skinned and heavyset. He was last seen wearing a blue Golden State Warriors T-shirt, gray basketball shorts with yellow trim and black shoes.Anyone with information related to th...

What went wrong for Warriors in Game 6 vs. Kings, and how it can change for Game 7

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The playoffs are supposed to bring out a different beast in a true contender. Yet the Warriors have looked every bit their regular-season selves during this first-round series against the Sacramento.A starting lineup adjustment, tighter screws on the turnovers and fight on the boards helped the Warriors take a 3-2 series lead and looking primed to close out in the comfort of their own home. Instead, the Warriors fell back into their worst habits.They were complacent, sloppy and perhaps a bit entitled as they watched the Kings beat them at their own game on their home floor, 118-99, sending the series to a Game 7 at Golden 1 Center. For the Warriors, this series has mimicked their regular season woes: Smart enough to beat anyone, bogged down by failure to execute, drawn to the .500 win line.But a win-or-go-home game is familiar territory to the core players in the Warriors’ locker room. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney savor the ...

A’s met by fans in Oakland with chants of `Sell the team!’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Just 6,423 fans showed up for the Athletics’ first home game since announcing a deal for land to build a ballpark in Las Vegas, many chanting “Sell the team!” and “Stay in Oakland!” during an 11-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.“Obviously, they have every right to do what they want and wear whatever T-shirts they want, say what they want, because they paid for their ticket,” A’s second baseman Tony Kemp said. “So yeah, it’s unfortunate that it’s come to this situation.”Unable to make progress on a new ballpark in the Bay Area and wanting to make plans as the expiration of their Oakland Coliseum lease approaches at the end of the 2024 season, the team announced April 19 that it had signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a new retractable roof ballpark in Las Vegas.The A’s, led by owner John Fisher, intend to work with Nevada and Clark County on a public-private partnership to fund the stadium. They hope to break ground by next year a...

Biden makes first in-person appeal to donors for 2024 campaign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

President Joe Biden lambasted “MAGA Republicans” and emphasized abortion rights in a pitch to more than 100 supporters and elected officials Friday, as part of the first in-person donor confab of his 2024 reelection campaign.The reception, while not a fundraiser, was the first of a two-day meeting that offered Democratic Party officials the opportunity to sell donors on Biden’s reelection campaign strategy and begin an ambitious fundraising push aimed at topping the $1 billion the campaign raised last election cycle.It also marked a new effort to bring untapped donors into the fold. Barring appearances at parties like state dinners or the occasional fundraiser for down-ballot races, donors have consistently said they were not being prioritized or the White House had failed to sufficiently bring them into the fold.“Here’s the bottom line. It’s very simple: We need you. Our democracy needs you because this is about our freedoms,” Biden told the jubilant crowd.But it’s unclear whether ...

Ron DeTedious: DeSantis underwhelms Britain’s business chiefs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

LONDON — He hopes to win the hearts and minds of devoted Donald Trump supporters ahead of next year’s U.S. election.But Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis failed to impress British business chiefs at a high-profile London event Friday, in a tired performance described variously as “horrendous,” “low-wattage” and “like the end of an overseas trip.”The Florida governor, expected to launch his bid next month to challenge Trump as the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential race, met with more than 50 representatives of major U.K. firms and business lobbying groups as a part of a four-country “trade mission” ending in London Friday.His trip was officially billed as an attempt to build Florida’s economic relationships with the U.K., Israel, South Korea and Japan, but it has been widely seen in Washington as a chance for DeSantis to present himself as a statesman on the world stage.For several of those present, how...

After killings, calls to protect S. Africa’s whistleblowers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An accountant working on a high-profile corruption case was killed along with his son by unknown gunmen while traveling on one of South Africa’s main highways. A government health department employee who warned of illegal dealings worth nearly $50 million was shot 12 times in the driveway of her home. The slayings and other cases have anti-corruption groups urging South African authorities to provide far better protection for whistleblowers. They also have fueled outrage over widespread graft linked to government contracts, which has plagued Africa’s most developed economy for years but appears to continue unabated.The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime counted a total of 1,971 assassination cases in South Africa between 2000 and 2021, with whistleblowers accounting for many of the targeted individuals.The specialist accountant and liquidator, 57-year-old Cloete Murray, was working on the financial accounts of a company that was h...

US ex-security adviser calls for closer ties with Taiwan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:39 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A former U.S. national security adviser called for deeper interaction between his country and Taiwan during a visit Saturday to the self-ruled island, which has seen increasing military threats from China.John Bolton, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024, said at a pro-Taiwan independence event in Taipei that national security teams from both sides must develop contingency plans on how to respond to actions Beijing might take, warning it would be too late once an attack occurs.“And we have to tell China and Russia what the consequences are if they take actions against Taiwan. Not just in the immediate response, but over the longer term, to basically excommunicate China from the international economic system if it did take military actions against Taiwan or attempt to throw a blockade around it,” Bolton said.Bolton, former President Donald Trump’s hawkish national security adviser, started his week-long trip to Taiwan on Wednesday. T...