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Iran executes 2 accused of blasphemy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

By Mostafa Salem | CNNIran hanged two people on Monday who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, according to the judiciary news agency Mizan.Yusef Mehrdad and Sadrullah Fazeli Zare were arrested in May 2020 and sentenced to death in April 2021 for running online “anti-Islam groups and channels,” Mizan said.Authorities convicted both after they were found to be members of a Telegram channel titled “Critique of Superstition and Religion,” according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.Members of the Telegram channel allegedly shared opinions insulting Islam. One member allegedly said that they set religious books on fire, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom claimed. Iran’s state-run AlAlam said Mehrdad was filmed burning the Quran.Zare and Mehrdad were denied family visits and phone calls for eight months after their arrest. Mehrdad reportedly went on hunger strike in February 2022 to protest the authorities’...

Lender winds up as owner of foreclosed San Jose hotel project site

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

SAN JOSE — A San Jose hotel project site whose development future is murky due to coronavirus-linked economic woes is now owned by a unit of the property’s lender after the formal completion of a real estate foreclosure.The proposed hotel development would consist of 200 rooms and is located in north San Jose’s Alviso district near the Topgolf entertainment, dining and golfing hub.Pine Tree Investment & Management, a South Korea-based real estate firm that acted through an affiliate, now is the owner of the hotel development land, documents filed on May 4 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office show.Through a trustee’s deed, the affiliate of Pine Tree Investment paid $27.6 million to buy the land in the wake of a foreclosure proceeding. The hotel site is located at 7 Top Golf Drive in San Jose.A different South Korea-based firm, operating as Mirae-San Jose, paid $22.5 million in 2019 for the hotel site, which consists of 3.2 acres of land.San Jose c...

Search continues as Congo flood death toll nears 400

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

By Justin Kabumba | Associated PressGOMA, Congo — The death toll from floods in eastern Congo has almost doubled, reaching close to 400 people as of Sunday, according to a local official.The administrator of the worst-affected area, the Kalehe territory of South Kivu province, told The Associated Press by phone that more bodies were recovered Sunday, including many found floating in Lake Kivu.Administrator Thomas Bakenge said the confirmed number of dead stood at 394 but it was a provisional count since the search was continuing. More than 300 victims had been buried as of Sunday, local groups said.Torrential rains across Kalehe territory began on Thursday evening. Rivers broke their banks, with flash floods sweeping away the majority of buildings in the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi, causing the huge loss of life.Delphin Birimbi, a civic leader in Kalehe, said he understood that thousands of people remained missing. He told the AP that some doctors arrived to treat the injured...

Palo Alto injury crash closes Alma Street in both directions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

(KRON) -- Alma Street in Palo Alto is closed in both directions due to an injury crash, according to the Palo Alto Police Department. Officers with Palo Alto PD and the Palo Alto Fire Department are investigating the crash and Alma is closed between Seale Avenue and Rinconada Avenue, police said. T-Mobile closes flagship Union Square store Drivers are advised to take alternate routes to avoid delays and to expect temporary traffic increases in surrounding neighborhoods.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Former Richmond police sergeant sentenced for drunkenly firing gun at hotel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

(KRON) -- A former Richmond police sergeant was sentenced Monday stemming from a 2017 incident where he drunkenly fired his gun several times at a Four Seasons hotel on Market Street, the San Francisco District Attorney's office announced. In 2021, Phillip Sanchez pleaded guilty to felony vandalism charges associated with the incident. Monday, he was charged with two years of felony probation for violating the terms of his guilty plea, officials said. The shots caused $3,368 in damages.KRON4 previously reported that the incident happened just before 5 a.m. while Sanchez was off-duty. Police said Sanchez did not immediately cooperate with arresting officers and prompted a shelter in place at the hotel. Sanchez was eventually taken into custody and placed on administrative leave from the Richmond Police Department. No injuries were reported from the shooting.Sanchez was originally granted a one-year Deferred Entry of Judgement grant where he was ordered to go to therapy, abstain from ...

DC Fire and EMS welcomes future recruit who went viral

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

(new Image()).src = "https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384&cid=c2ffed0c-3624-46c0-b10f-97c976d290a3";cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384",mediaId: "cbe785eb-b609-4c3b-87e3-7d22b37c131a"}).render("78dd2ba263114908b9d9717761cea79c"); });A Charles County, Maryland, boy went viral on Instagram last week, after a video his mom shot of him practicing to be a firefighter was posted online.The child, 11-year-old Darrien Grant of White Plains, was seen jumping into uniform, pedaling his bike to a fire contained to a small, metal can, and then putting it out. Later, the film cut to him dragging a body and performing CPR.Real-life firefighters noticed. On Monday morning, Grant, who is normally somewhat shy and reserved, was the center of attention, as D.C. Fire and EMS welcomed him to the agency’s training academy in Southwest.Grant and Fire Chief John Donnelly spoke for a few minutes on the front s...

Column: F1 drivers unhappy with Miami’s pomp, circumstance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The stars of Formula One stood under the hot Florida sun mingling with LL Cool J, the chosen A-list celebrity tasked with hosting an elaborate pre-race ceremony ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. The festivities in the 30 minutes leading up to the start of the race featured a new single by Will.I.AM called “The Formula” created specifically for F1. The performer led an orchestral performance — yes, there was a symphony assembled on the starting grid — that played his new tune as LL Cool J hyped each of the 20 drivers as he introduced them to the crowd. It was all so very American. And it irked many of the F1 stars.George Russell, the director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, was the first to take the issue public following Sunday’s race. The Mercedes driver said drivers met two days before the race and expressed their displeasure with the pomp and circumstance, which far exceeded the normal ride around a circuit while waving to the fans as the trad...

49ers sign QB Brandon Allen, 2 others to 1-year deals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers signed quarterback Brandon Allen, defensive lineman Marlon Davidson and tight end Troy Fumagalli to one-year deals on Monday.San Francisco was looking for an extra quarterback for the offseason program with projected starter Brock Purdy recovering from elbow surgery and found one in Allen.Allen was drafted in the sixth round by Jacksonville in the 2016 draft and has spent time with the Jaguars, Rams, Broncos and Bengals since then.Allen has played 15 games and made nine starts, throwing for 1,611 yards, 10 TDs, six interceptions and a 78 rating.Davidson has played 19 games for Atlanta after being drafted in the second round in 2020. He has 29 tackles, two passes defensed, one interception, one fumble recovery and one sack. Fumagalli sent time with the Niners last offseason. In 19 career games with Denver, he has 14 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. ___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFLSource

Letecia Stauch found guilty of murdering stepson Gannon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) -- The jury in the Letecia Stauch murder trial reached a verdict on Monday afternoon. Stauch was found guilty of all charges related to murdering her stepson, 11-year-old Gannon, including first-degree murder after deliberation, first degree murder of a child under 12 years old by a person in a position of trust, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.Stauch will be sentenced on Monday afternoon."The family has been thinking about this day for three years. They are ready for sentencing," the judge shared with the court.FOX31's Nicole Fierro has been following this case from the beginning and has been monitoring the trial since it began. She was in court for the reading of the verdict. Closing arguements made in Letecia Stauch murder trial Stuach is charged with murdering her stepson, 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, in January of 2020.On Jan. 27, 2020, Stauch called the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and report...

Disney updates lawsuit against DeSantis to add new events

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:31 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney on Monday amended its free speech lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis to add recent developments in the tit-for-tat fight between the entertainment giant and the Florida governor, such as a new law granting the state unprecedented authority to inspect a monorail system at Disney World.Disney’s amended complaint filed in federal court in Tallahassee is updated with developments since the entertainment giant almost two weeks ago sued DeSantis and an oversight board for the Disney World governing district that is made up of members newly appointed by the governor.The new complaint references legislation passed last week by Florida lawmakers that rescinds agreements that Disney and a previous oversight board consisting of Disney supporters made earlier this year, giving the entertainment giant control over design and construction at Disney World. The amended lawsuit also includes the new measure passed last week by Florida lawmakers giving the state autho...