Mahsa Amini's father detained by Iranian authorities on anniversary of daughter's death
Iranian authorities detained the father of Mahsa Amini on the one-year anniversary of her death Saturday, Iranian journalists and rights groups have said.
2023-09-16 20:21
Brazilian butt-lift surgery: What are the risks and why is it so popular?
A so-called Brazilian butt-lift is the fastest-growing form of cosmetic surgery, despite the risks.
2023-09-16 14:24
Mexico extradites son of ‘El Chapo’ Ovidio Guzmán López to US
Mexico extradited Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, to the United States on Friday to face drug trafficking charges, US attorney general Merrick Garland said in a statement. “This action is the most recent step in the Justice Department’s effort to attack every aspect of the cartel’s operations,” Mr Garland said. The Mexican government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Mexican security forces captured Mr Guzmán López, alias “the Mouse,” in January in Culiacan, capital of Sinaloa state, the cartel’s namesake. Three years earlier, the government had tried to capture him, but aborted the operation after his cartel allies set off a wave of violence in Culiacan. January’s arrest set off similar violence that killed 30 people in Culiacan, including 10 military personnel. The army used Black Hawk helicopter gunships against the cartel’s truck-mounted .50-caliber machine guns. Cartel gunmen hit two military aircraft forcing them to land and sent gunmen to the city’s airport where military and civilian aircraft were hit by gunfire. The capture came just days before US president Joe Biden visited Mexico for bilateral talks followed by the North American Leaders’ Summit. On Friday, Mr Garland recognized the law enforcement and military members who had given their lives in the US and Mexico. "The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic that has devastated too many communities across the country.” In April, US prosecutors unsealed sprawling indictments against Mr Guzmán and his brothers, known collectively as the “Chapitos.” They laid out in detail how following their father’s extradition and eventual life sentence in the US, the brothers steered the cartel increasingly into synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl. The indictment unsealed in Manhattan said their goal was to produce huge quantities of fentanyl and sell it at the lowest price. Fentanyl is so cheap to make that the cartel reaps immense profits even wholesaling the drug at 50 cents per pill, prosecutors said. The brothers denied the allegations in a letter. The Chapitos became known for grotesque violence that appeared to surpass any notions of restraint shown by earlier generations of cartel leaders. Fentanyl has become a top priority in the bilateral security relationship. But Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has denied assertions by the US government and his own military about fentanyl production in Mexico, instead describing the country as a transit point for precursors coming from China and bound for the US. López Obrador blames a deterioration of family values in the US for the high levels of drug addiction in that country. An estimated 109,680 overdose deaths occurred last year in the United States, according to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 75,000 of those were linked to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Inexpensive fentanyl is increasingly cut into other drugs, often without the buyers’ knowledge. Read More El Chapo’s son, three Sinaloa cartel leaders and two Mexican firms sanctioned for bringing fentanyl into US Case details Sinaloa cartel's fentanyl-fueled evolution Mexican capo's arrest a gesture to US, not signal of change Big week for US-Mexico ties going into North American summit Drug lord, trafficker, killer of wedding singers: How the ‘New Mouse’ followed in the bloody footsteps of his father El Chapo
2023-09-16 12:52
One year since Mahsa Amini's death, a protester shot in the eye during Iran's crackdown continues her struggle from exile
Elahe Tavakolian's shooter was so close, she could see him pointing his gun at her.
2023-09-16 12:50
MGM Resorts Hackers Broke in After Tricking IT Service Desk
The online attack that disrupted MGM Resorts International resorts and casinos across the country began with a social
2023-09-16 08:57
Colombia’s Petro Says Cocaine Among Country’s Top Exports
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said cocaine has always been a top export for his country after a report
2023-09-16 08:54
Ashton Kutcher resigns from anti-child abuse charity over support for rapist Danny Masterson
The actor says his letter of support for rape convict Danny Masterson was an "error in judgement".
2023-09-16 06:46
Prosecutors ask judge to restrict Trump’s ‘inflammatory’ attacks surrounding election subversion case
Federal prosecutors are asking the judge overseeing a case targeting Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election to help stop his wave of “inflammatory” attacks. Following a grand jury’s indictment in the case, the former president has “repeatedly and widely disseminated public statements” attacking Washington DC residents as well as members of the court, prosecutors and prospective witnesses, according to a filing in US District Court on 15 September. His statements threaten “to undermine the integrity of these proceedings and prejudice the jury pool,” prosecutors warned. Prosecutors with US Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith have asked US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to take “immediate” steps to ensure a fair trial and an impartial jury, including drafting a “narrowly tailored order” that restricts “certain prejudicial extrajudicial statements” from Mr Trump. An unsparing assessment of Mr Trump’s remarks charts the former president’s ongoing and baseless narrative casting doubt on the integrity and veracity of US elections, his remarks targeting his perceived political opponents, including family members of the judges and prosecutors overseeing the criminal cases against him, and how his bullhorn dog-whistle statements are heard among his supporters who elevate those threats. “The defendant has an established practice of issuing inflammatory public statements targeted at individuals or institutions that present an obstacle or challenge to him,” including bogus statements surrounding US elections that have “engendered widespread mistrust in the administration of the election, and the individuals whom he targeted were subject to threats and harassment,” according to prosecutors. Mr Trump knows that “when he publicly attacks individuals and institutions, he inspires others to perpetrate threats and harassment against his targets,” according to the filing, and that he continues those attacks “precisely because he knows that in doing so, he is able to roil the public and marshal and prompt his supporters.” The filing includes several posts from Mr Trump’s Truth Social account, which the former president has used as a bully pulpit to his supporters to direct the narratives surrounding the criminal cases against him while casting himself as a victim of political prosecution. Mr Trump has “posted publicly about individuals whom he has reason to believe will be witnesses in this trial,” and his “relentless public posts marshaling anger and mistrust in the justice system, the Court, and prosecutors have already influenced the public,” according to prosecutors. The special counsel’s office has also faced “multiple threats,” according to the filing. In a separate filing on Friday, prosecutors have warned a judge that people connected to the case have faced “threats and harassment” fuelled by the former president’s “inflammatory public statements.” Judge Chutkan has allowed prosecutors to seal those names, according to the nine-page order on 15 September. Prosecutors asked to court to withhold the names and other identifying information of “certain individuals” targeted by Mr Trump with “inflammatory” statements, as well as excerpts from witness interview transcripts that describe the alleged threats and harassment they received, according to the filing. “The government seeks to establish that Defendant has publicly criticized his perceived adversaries and is aware that this criticism has led to their harassment,” the judge wrote. This is a developing story Read More Trump’s Twitter DMs handed over as special counsel asks for narrow gag order in Jan 6 case – latest
2023-09-16 05:47
An Arkansas toddler dies of rare brain-eating amoeba infection likely contracted at splash pad
An Arkansas toddler died of a rare brain-eating amoeba infection, which was likely contracted at a splash pad at a country club, according to health officials and the county coroner.
2023-09-16 04:49
Alex Murdaugh’s jury tampering allegations have ‘significant’ factual disputes, prosecutors say
Prosecutors have responded to Alex Murdaugh’s allegations of jury tampering at his double murder trial stating that South Carolina investigators have found “significant factual disputes” with the claims. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office filed the response on Friday moving to dismiss Murdaugh’s request for a new trial due to “procedural defect”. The filing, which came just under deadline on Friday afternoon, is the state’s first response to the allegations made in the defence’s bombshell motion last week. Murdaugh demanded a new trial after his legal team accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of pressuring jurors to return a guilty verdict. Prosecutors also said that they want Murdaugh’s defence team to show that they did not know about the alleged jury tampering during the murder trial. Ms Hill has not commented publicly on the allegations. The response from the state on Friday comes a day after a smiling Murdaugh appeared publicly for the first time since he was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, this time to face a string of financial fraud charges. At the status hearing in Beaufort County, Judge Clifton Newman set the trial date for 27 November. The case will focus on the millions of dollars he stole from the family of his dead housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, part of the 101 state charges in response to his alleged financial crimes. Two former friends and alleged co-conspirators in the case also appeared in court on Thursday, former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte and former attorney Cory Fleming, the latter sentenced to 10 years in prison. Read More Smiling Alex Murdaugh appears in court in shackles as trial date set in financial fraud case Alex Murdaugh’s demand for new trial over jury tampering claims awaiting response as deadline looms – live
2023-09-16 04:27
Sia reveals she suffered ‘severe’ three-year depression after divorce from Erik Anders Lang
Sia has opened up about the painful experience she underwent after her divorce from ex-husband Erik Anders Lang. The “Chandelier” singer, 47, spoke candidly about her mental health in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1 on 13 September. “Well, actually, the truth is that I had just been every now and again writing a song here or there for the last six, seven years,” Sia said while discussing her forthcoming album, Reasonable Woman. "I got divorced and that really threw me for a loop,” she explained. “That was such a dark time that I was in bed for three years, really, really severely depressed. And so I couldn’t really do anything for that period of time.” However, the “Unstoppable” singer was able to record “just little bits and pieces here and there” of her new music, and eventually felt inspired to create an album. “Finally, it just turned out we had enough songs to make an album, enough good ones,” Sia continued. “I just rely on my management to tell me when we’ve got enough good ones, because I don’t really... I can tell when I think one is particularly good, I think I can tell, but they tell me when we’ve got 11 or 12 or 13 enough good ones, real good ones.” Sia, whose full name Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, was previously married to filmmaker Erik Anders Lang. The former couple were married at the Grammy-winner’s Palm Springs home in August 2014. However, they filed for divorce two years later, citing “irreconcilable differences”. These days, the “Cheap Thrills” singer has moved on with husband Dan Bernad. The couple were married last May during an intimate wedding ceremony in Italy with “just four” guests present. Sia has managed to keep many details about her relationship with Bernad private, sharing only one picture with him on Instagram last year. “Pride forever! #lgbtqia+ #LAFC #22 also just finished my next album! A great day all round!” she captioned the post, which featured Bernad. According to People, the couple tied the knot during a candlelit ceremony at Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s Villa Olivetta in Portofino, Italy – the same venue where Kourtney Kardashian married Travis Barker in May 2022. The bride wore a lace mermaid wedding gown, complete with a matching, nude sheer veil, while Bernad chose a light-coloured tuxedo for the nuptials. They reportedly exchanged vows under an iron gazebo, adorned with pink, purple, yellow, and white flowers. In 2020, Sia announced she had become a grandmother at the age of 44 - one year after she adopted two adult sons. Speaking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe at the time, she revealed that one of her adopted sons had just become a father. “My youngest son just had two babies, I’m just immediately horrified,” she quipped. “No, I’m cool. They call me Nana. I’m trying to get them to call me Lovey, like Kris [Jenner]. I’m like: ‘Call me Lovey’... I’m a f***ing grandma!” Read More Sia marries boyfriend Dan Bernad at wedding with ‘just four guests’ ‘I love them’: Sia reveals she adopted two 18-year-old sons Emily Ratajkowski jokes she’ll date ‘anyone who wants to take her to dinner’ David Foster and Katharine McPhee express grief after death of their child’s nanny Mother defended after calling father ‘creepy’ over name choice for newborn daughter Action needed to protect women from birth trauma – MP
2023-09-16 03:47
Biden admin imposes new sanctions on Iran for anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death
The Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on more than two dozen Iranian individuals and entities tied to the violent suppression of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini one year ago.
2023-09-16 03:23