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International outcry as Iran’s regime assumes chairmanship of UN Human Rights Council's social forum

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

In a shocking turn of events, Iran's regime, a notorious violator of human rights, took over the chairmanship of the Social Forum of the United Nations Human Rights Council, with human rights advocates expressing strongly condemned, writes Shahin Gobadi.Many are shocked that despite the regime's history of oppression, torture, and executions, it was given such a prestigious position by the UN Human Rights Council earlier this year.During a press conference in Geneva today, Tahar Boumedra, former Chief of the UN Human Rights Office in Iraq, and Behzad Naziri, the representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in international organizations, denounced the appointment."This disgraceful decision is an insult to the Iranian people, whose human rights have been flagrantly violated by the regime over the past 44 years, and it makes a mockery of the principles upon which the UN is founded," said Mr. Boumedra.It was also announced that 180 human rights experts, jurists, ...

Police seek hit-and-run driver in woman's death

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

The Los Angeles Police Department is looking for the driver who fatally struck a pedestrian in Wilmington last month.The pedestrian, a woman whose identity has not been released, was in a crosswalk at Anaheim Street and King Avenue at about 7:20 p.m. on Oct. 6 when she was hit by a white sedan, police said in a news release."The force of the collision caused the victim to be propelled into the air before landing in the roadway," police added.The white sedan fled the scene, and the woman succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital three weeks after she was struck.Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Huerta at 323-421-2500. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or go directly to lacrimestoppers.org.

CIRCLE program to combat homelessness in Sherman Oaks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Wednesday that more resources will be used to assist people experiencing homelessness in Sherman Oaks.The Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement program, also known as CIRCLE, is expanding into Sherman Oaks.CIRCLE, "a 24/7 unarmed response program that deploys a team of mental health professionals and individuals with lived experience to address non-violent LAPD calls related to unhoused individuals experiencing crisis," already operates in Hollywood, South Los Angeles, downtown L.A. Venice and the San Fernando Valley, according to a release from Bass' office.Specifically, CIRCLE looks to help with issues like loitering, noise complaints, substance abuse and indecent exposure.“We have heard the calls of Sherman Oaks residents and businesses and now with the expansion of CIRCLE, there will be more options and strategies available to respond to calls about unhoused residents or residents needing care through effective commu...

'Yellowstone' reveals premiere date for final episodes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

If you've been waiting to see how the Dutton family saga will end, you're going to have to wait a while. The final episodes of "Yellowstone" are set to premiere in November 2024, Paramount tells The Hollywood Reporter. The final episodes are the second part of Season 5. The hit series was supposed to wrap up later this year, but that was delayed due to the writers' and actors' strikes as well as scheduling issues with Kevin Costner. However, don't lose heart. Fans will still be able to keep up with the Dutton family dynasty in different ways, even if it's without the main players from "Yellowstone."Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, foreground from left, appears with actor Kevin Costner, production designer Ruth De Jong and writer-director Taylor Sheridan in the lodge at the Chief Joseph Ranch during a visit to the set of the television series "Yellowstone" in Darby, Mont, Dec. 7, 2017. The popular television western “Yellowstone” will end this fall and be replaced almost immediately by a ...

What’s Popping Up? Veterans Day Deals And A Hot Air Balloon Festival In The Desert

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

The Breakfast Bar and Beadel Family Foundation, through their Pancakes 4 Purpose initiative, will host a community block party in honor of Veterans Day from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with an afterparty from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 3404 East Fourth St., in Long Beach. The event will benefit the Kind Acts Factory, a nonprofit focused on connecting veterans with community leaders and civic improvement. Pancakes 4 Purpose will feature food and drink from The Breakfast Bar, a dedication to honor veterans, raffles, a silent auction, games and more. The celebration will continue into the evening with karaoke, live music and dancing. Tickets cost $20 and are available here.  On Saturday, Nov. 11, all California-based Sizzler locations will offer a free lunch to any active duty military or veteran until 4 p.m. Each active duty military member or veteran can choose between a free half-dozen crispy shrimp, Malibu chicken, or 6 oz. tri-tip steak entree. Click here to find your near...

Riot Days Revisited: Pussy Riot’s Punk Opera Arrives at the Echo

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

Riot Days Revisited: It’s been clear and obvious since they formed in 2011 that Pussy Riot is not an ordinary band. It’s a collective, performance artists, but their politics come first. Everything it does, all that it is about, centers around activism and manifestos.As such, an interview with a member of Pussy Riot about a forthcoming L.A. show is not going to be a regular music interview, regardless of the fact that it’s sat here in the Music section. Questions about evolution of sound, the gear that is used, etc., seem utterly irrelevant. That’s just not what Pussy Riot is about.It is interesting that this latest tour, Riot Days, is the brainchild of Maria ‘Masha’ Alyokhina, and has nothing to do with founding member Nadya Tolokonnikova. In fact, while they have protested together, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova have never performed together on stage. They each have their own branch of Pussy Riot. Not different versions — this isn’t LA Guns. But different branches.Alyokhina’s story ...

Larry Magid: Beware of ‘smishing’ scams

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

The first few times I got a text message from a stranger that appeared to be directed at someone else, I politely informed them that they’d reached the wrong number.Related ArticlesBusiness | Magid: Smartphone essentials for traveling abroad Business | Magid: UN Internet Governance Forum focuses on AI Business | Magid: Pixel Watch 2 adds health features, improves performance Business | Magid: Polly Klaas tragedy changed how we look for missing children But now I ignore such seemingly misdirected text messages, because they could very well be scams, designed to get you into a conversation and lure you into a potential scam. If you respond, often they’ll respond back in a gracious manner, perhaps with a question, offer or even photograph, designed to lure you into a conversation. It’s all about establishing rapport with friendly back and forth messages that might lead to “oh by the way, check out this really cool website”...

California No. 1 for worker dissatisfaction, by this measure

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

Let me introduce to you a noteworthy slice of California’s job market – the dissatisfied worker.It’s this good-sized group of unhappy Californians that helps explain consumer jitters, despite a largely healthy economy. You’ll find them, statistically speaking, in a gap between two job-market benchmarks.Here’s the math: California’s official unemployment rate averaged 4.2% in the 12 months ended in June. In the same period, a very broad measure of statewide joblessness was 8.7%.Remember, joblessness is measured by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which polls workers. The key difference between these two workplace yardsticks is two groups: “discouraged” workers – the people who are not in the official workforce but who would work if offered a job – and the “underemployed” workers – those folks with part-time gigs who want full-time work.My trusty spreadsheet found California’s 4.5-percentage point gap between these two rates to be the largest among the states.Next in the dissatisfac...

California says electric cars now make up a fifth of auto sales

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

By Dana Hull | BloombergOne out of every five cars sold in California is now powered by a battery, registration data released Wednesday by the California New Car Dealers Association shows.In the first nine months of 2023, electric vehicles accounted for 21.5% of cars sold in California, a figure that’s more than doubled in the past two years. When combined with hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles, the year-to-date figure is 35.4%.California has long been a champion of electric cars, and Governor Gavin Newsom said he’ll phase out sales of new, gasoline-powered cars by 2035 as part of the state’s fight against climate change. Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. was founded in the state, and the EV adoption curve has accelerated faster in California than in other parts of the country.Battery-powered cars make up only 7.4% of the overall US auto market, the California report said.That’s helped the state defy some of the gloom now facing the broader EV market. Both Tesla and conventional au...

15-year-old Palo Alto girl reported missing has been located

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:56:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A 15-year-old girl who was reported missing has been found safely, the Palo Alto Police Department announced Thursday morning. The girl left her home Tuesday night at about 8 p.m. before being located overnight Thursday.The girl did not have a phone on her when she went missing, police said.