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Daughter of California man on death row in Iran files criminal complaint against Tehran in Germany

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The daughter of a California-based man sentenced to death in Iran has asked authorities in Germany to open criminal proceedings against members of the Iranian judiciary.The family of Jamshid Sharmahd, who is a German-Iranian citizen, says he was abducted by Iran while staying in Dubai three years ago. Iranian authorities accused him of planning a 2008 attack on a mosque that killed 14 people and wounded over 200 others. He was sentenced to death earlier this year.German and European diplomats have condemned the verdict, which comes amid an increase in executions by Iran.Germany follows the principle of universal jurisdiction, under which authorities can investigate serious crimes committed elsewhere in the world.Sharmahd’s daughter, Gazelle Sharmahd , filed a criminal complaint with the German federal prosecutor’s office against eight high-ranking members of Iran’s judiciary and the intelligence service, alleging crimes against humanity.The Berlin-bas...

Israel beefs up troop presence in West Bank after Palestinian attack that killed 4 civilians

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Wednesday deployed additional forces across the occupied West Bank and prepared to demolish the homes of two Palestinian gunmen who killed four Israelis in one of the worst attacks in the past year of violence. The families laid to rest the victims in the deadly shooting in the West Bank settlement of Eli, in which two Palestinian militants opened fire at a gas station restaurant.Israeli media identified the four killed as Harel Masood, 21, Ofer Fayerman, 64, and Elisha Anteman, 18, Nahman-Shmuel Mordoff, 17. An Israeli civilian killed one assailant at the scene, while Israeli troops chased and killed the second shooter after he fled. The shooting came a day after seven Palestinians were killed in a daylong battle against Israeli troops in the militant stronghold of Jenin. The worsening violence has created a test for Israel’s far right government and prompted calls for a widespread military operation in the West Bank.The army said it was bee...

The Biden-Modi relationship is built around mutual admiration of scrappy pasts and pragmatic needs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — No one would mistake them for best of friends.But U.S. President Joe Biden, the son of blue-collar Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who rose from tea seller’s son to premier, have developed a relationship based on mutual respect of their scrappy backgrounds and a pragmatism about the shared challenges their two countries face.Biden is hosting Modi for a state visit this week as he looks to tighten his relationship with the leader of a nation of 1.4 billion that the U.S. administration sees as a pivotal force in Asia for decades to come. The pomp-filled visit will mark the two leaders’ 10th in-person or virtual engagement since Biden became president in 2021. They’re expected to meet again in September in India at the Group of 20 summit.The U.S.-India relationship is complicated. There are deep differences over Russia’s war in Ukraine and India’s human rights record. But the frequent engagement between th...

UN expert urges a different approach to resolve the crisis in Myanmar

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An independent expert working with the United Nations on the issue of human rights in Myanmar urged the international community on Wednesday to find a different approach to resolve the crisis in the Southeast Asian country, saying the current course of action is not working.Tom Andrews, a special rapporteur working with the U.N. human rights office, told a news conference in Jakarta the world is looking to Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for leadership on the situation in Myanmar.“I came to Indonesia because the human rights situation in Myanmar is dire and getting worse, and because I believe that Indonesia is positioned to play a critical role in the resolution of this crisis,” Andrews said after meeting with Indonesian and ASEAN officials.Myanmar’s crisis began after its military in February 2021 seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover prompted widespread public protests, whose violent suppressi...

China says Biden comments calling leader Xi a dictator ‘extremely absurd and irresponsible’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday called comments by President Joe Biden describing Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a dictator “extremely absurd and irresponsible.” The new clash of words comes just over a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that sought to break the ice in a relationship that has hit a historical low. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Biden’s comments at a fundraiser in California “go totally against facts and seriously violate diplomatic protocol, and severely infringe on China’s political dignity.” “It is a blatant political provocation. China expresses strong dissatisfaction and opposition,” Mao said at a daily briefing. “The U.S. remarks are extremely absurd and irresponsible,” Mao said. Blinken’s visit, during which he met with Xi, was aimed at easing tensions between the two superpowers but appeared not to have achieved any solid results. Biden, at the fundraiser on Tuesday night local time, said that Xi was em...

Poland’s conservative ruling party leader Kaczynski is joining the government as the deputy premier

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s powerful conservative ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is reentering the government on Wednesday as the only deputy prime minister in the Cabinet, a move that gives him an enhanced position as the country heads toward a general election this fall.Kaczynski is the head of Law and Justice, the party that has governed Poland since 2015. It is widely believed in Poland that he decides most of the government’s policies and appointments, guiding the country in his position as party leader.He has previously served as deputy prime minister with a focus on security issues. He announced exactly a year ago that he was resigning from that position.This time, he will become the only deputy prime minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the government spokesman Piotr Mueller told the Polish news agency PAP.So far, there had been four deputy prime ministers in the Cabinet.“The other deputy prime ministers have resigned from th...

Underwater noises heard in frantic search for missing submersible near Titanic

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

A Canadian military surveillance aircraft detected underwater noises as a massive search continued early Wednesday in a remote part of the North Atlantic for a submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic.A statement from the U.S. Coast Guard did not elaborate on what rescuers believed the noises could be, though it offered a glimmer of hope for those lost abroad the Titan as estimates suggest as little as a day's worth of oxygen could be left if the vessel is still functioning.Meanwhile, questions remain about how teams could reach the lost submersible, which could be as deep as about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface near the watery tomb of the historic ocean liner. Newly uncovered allegations also suggest there had been significant warnings made about vessel safety during its development.Lost aboard the vessel are pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition. His passengers are a...

MVP Arena GM Bob Belber discusses potential new ownership

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) -- MVP Arena general manager Bob Belber has told NEWS10 Sports Director Griffin Haas that he and Ron Tridico had discussions on Monday night regarding Tridico's interest in bringing a new arena football team to Albany. Belber says the discussions were sparked by NEWS10's story on Monday regarding Tridico's interest. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Belber tells NEWS10 he had a great conversation with Tridico, and the next step in the process would be for Tridico to come up with a proposal. Belber added that Tridico's proposal would need to come with confirmation from one of the arena league's that the team will be welcomed into that league. Belber mentioned there is at least one other potential ownership group in the mix. He says the arena will review their offers over the next couple of weeks. Tridico tells NEWS10 if he does bring a team to Albany, it will be a completely new team with completely new br...

Mohawks continue tear; improve to 14-1 with doubleheader sweep of Lumberjacks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- It's a bad day for opposing teams to see the Amsterdam Mohawks on their schedule. Keith Griffin's squad is off to its' best start in organization history, and that's saying a lot, considering they're coming off their winningest season ever last year. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Amsterdam improved to 14-1 with a doubleheader sweep of the Boonville Lumberjacks Tuesday at Shuttleworth Park. The Mohawks erased a 4-0 deficit to take game one 8-6, and never trailed in game two, securing a 7-5 victory.After a sluggish start to the opening game, the Mohawks were sure to get a jump on Boonville in the nightcap, manufacturing two first-inning runs as leadoff hitter Gage Miller scored on a wild pitch, and first baseman Cam Gurney drove in Luke Longo with a sacrifice fly.Boonville managed to respond by scraping across two runs of its' own. A bases-loaded walk in the second inning drew the Lumberjacks wit...

Attack on Vienna's pride parade prevented, security services say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:57:49 GMT

Austrian security services said on Sunday (18 June) they had thwarted a planned attack on Saturday's (17 June) pride parade in the capital.Three suspects between the ages of 14 and 20 were arrested on suspicion of planning to attack the parade in Vienna, which was held to celebrate LGBTQ+ rights and attracted around 300,000 people, officials said."Through the successful and also timely intervention, we managed to defuse the moment of danger for Vienna Pride and to ensure the safety of all participants," said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, Austria's domestic intelligence chief.He did not give details of what the attack would have consisted of, but said items prohibited under Austria's weapons law were seized in searches carried out at the suspects' homes.Vienna police and Austria's state protection service were involved in the operation.The three suspects - Austrian citizens with Bosnian and Chechen roots - sympathize with the Islamic State militant group, Haijawi-Pirchner said.