IRAN
Four men executed
The government yesterday executed a man convicted of leading a human trafficking and prostitution ring, a day after hanging three men linked to protests triggered by Mahsa Amini’s death, the judiciary said. “Following confirmation of the sentence of Shahrouz Sokhanvari, aka Alex, in the supreme court, he was hanged this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online news Web site said. Sokhanvari was charged with “corruption on Earth” for “establishing and managing a wide network of prostitution at the international level, which has been attracting Iranian and foreign girls,” Mizan added. Sokhanvari’s execution came a day after Iran hanged three men found guilty of waging “war against God” for shooting dead three members of the security forces at a demonstration in the central city of Isfahan on Nov. 16 last year.
RUSSIA
Obama among 500 banned
Moscow on Friday said it banned entry to 500 Americans, including former US president Barack Obama, in response to sanctions imposed by Washington. “In response to the anti-Russian sanctions regularly imposed by the [US President Joe] Biden administration ... entry into the Russian Federation is closed for 500 Americans,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that Obama was among those on the list. Among those listed were television hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers.
UNITED STATES
Adidas to sell off Yeezys
Adidas on Friday said that it would begin selling its more than US$1 billion worth of leftover Yeezy sneakers later this month, with the proceeds to be donated to various anti-racism groups. The German sportswear brand said that recipients would include the Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, run by social justice advocate Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd. “After careful consideration, we have decided to begin releasing some of the remaining Adidas Yeezy products,” said Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden in a statement. “Selling and donating was the preferred option among all organizations and stakeholders we spoke to. There is no place in sport or society for hate of any kind and we remain committed to fighting against it.” Adidas terminated its partnership to make the sneakers with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in October last year following anti-Semitic comments on social media and in interviews.
AUSTRALIA
Tasering draws outcry
Police will not release bodycam footage of an officer tasering a 95-year-old great-grandmother with dementia inside her nursing home, a state police chief said yesterday. The woman, Clare Nowland, is in a critical state in a hospital, three days after being shot with an electronic stun gun in a confrontation that shocked Australians and made international headlines. Asked about political calls for police body-worn video of the tasering to be released, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb told a news conference: “I am not sure why they want to see it,” adding that an investigation was under way. New South Wales Senator David Shoebridge demanded police release the video. “My reaction, like millions of Australians who have heard this news is shock and disbelief,” he said. “How can it be reasonable use of force for police to be tasering a 95-year-old woman with dementia in a walking frame in a nursing home?”
Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore yesterday canceled flights to and from the Indonesian island of Bali, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower into the sky. Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a 9km tower a day earlier. Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as canceled. “Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” AirAsia said as it announced several cancelations. Multiple eruptions from the 1,703m twin-peaked volcano in
A plane bringing Israeli soccer supporters home from Amsterdam landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on Friday after a night of violence that Israeli and Dutch officials condemned as “anti-Semitic.” Dutch police said 62 arrests were made in connection with the violence, which erupted after a UEFA Europa League soccer tie between Amsterdam club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli flag carrier El Al said it was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home, after the first flight carrying evacuees landed on Friday afternoon, the Israeli Airports Authority said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered
Former US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi said if US President Joe Biden had ended his re-election bid sooner, the Democratic Party could have held a competitive nominating process to choose his replacement. “Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” Pelosi said in an interview on Thursday published by the New York Times the next day. “The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary,” she said. Pelosi said she thought the Democratic candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris, “would have done
Farmer Liu Bingyong used to make a tidy profit selling milk but is now leaking cash — hit by a dairy sector crisis that embodies several of China’s economic woes. Milk is not a traditional mainstay of Chinese diets, but the Chinese government has long pushed people to drink more, citing its health benefits. The country has expanded its dairy production capacity and imported vast numbers of cattle in recent years as Beijing pursues food self-sufficiency. However, chronically low consumption has left the market sloshing with unwanted milk — driving down prices and pushing farmers to the brink — while
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