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A study on the repression of political dissent in Lebanon: The Omar Harfouch case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

The Security and Intelligence European Center affiliated with the European Union has prepared a detailed report on the leader of the Third Lebanese Republic initiative, Omar Harfouch, and what the latter is facing from the attempts of the Lebanese system to undermine him and prevent him from completing his project to fight corruption. The report stated that on March 29, Harfouch attended a conference in the European Parliament on the topic of "fighting terrorism," where Mr. Harfouch spoke briefly for about three minutes about the issue of corruption in Lebanon. In the days that followed, he was violently attacked in Beirut by some media, Hezbollah, and the Lebanese authorities, who accused him of "contacting an enemy state" (Israel). The daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is reputed to be close to Hezbollah, was particularly fierce against it. Then the military justice system opened proceedings against Omar Harfouch on charges of "treason", and later an arrest warrant was issued for h...

Amazon truck crash on 210 Freeway in Monrovia hospitalizes 2; packages possibly stolen 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

Hundreds of packages were scattered on and around the 210 Freeway in Monrovia after an Amazon semi-truck crashed into a side wall. According to CHP, the crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning on the westbound side of the 210 Freeway at Myrtle Avenue. The female driver of the Amazon truck was ejected into the carpool lane because of the crash, and the debris in the lanes caused two other vehicles to collide into each other. The truck driver was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition, with the other drivers’ conditions unknown. Video shows the side wall of the freeway demolished with hundreds of packages and large chunks of debris scattered down the hillside towards homes on Evergreen Avenue. According to CHP, the crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning on the westbound side of the 210 Freeway at Myrtle Avenue. Hundreds of packages were scattered on the 210 Freeway in Monrovia after an Amazon semi-truck crashed into a si...

Amsterdam-style cannabis ‘coffee shops’ could be coming to California

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

A bill that would allow local governments across the State of California to license Amsterdam-style cannabis "coffee shops" has been passed in the State Assembly. The bill, AB 374, which was proposed by Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, passed with broad bipartisan support, receiving a 64 to 9 vote."Cannabis cafes in the Netherlands capitalize on the social experience of cannabis by offering coffee, food, and live music, all of those opportunities are currently illegal under California law," read a press release from Haney's office. "AB 374 will allow struggling cannabis businesses to diversity away from the marijuana-only 'dispensary' model and bring much-needed tourist dollars into empty downtowns."“Lots of people want to enjoy legal cannabis in the company of others,” said Haney. “And many people want to do that while sipping coffee, eating a scone, or listening to music. There’s absolutely no good reason from an economic, health, or safety standpoint that the state sho...

Man arrested in connection with Anaheim GardenWalk murders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

A suspect was arrested Tuesday in connection with the murders of two men at the Anaheim GardenWalk.The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Aristeo Martinez by the Anaheim Police Department.On May 21, just after 2 a.m. Anaheim police responded to the GardenWalk’s parking structure after a large fight and shooting broke out.Arriving officers found the first victim, 32-year-old Deonte Marquis Lenin of Highland, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Lenin was pronounced dead at the scene.A second victim, 21-year-old Elian Tanori Arvayo of Phoenix, Arizona, was found lying on the ground just outside the parking structure, suffering from blunt force trauma. Arvayo was transported to a local hospital where he later died.Victim Deonte Lenin in shown in this undated photo provided by the Anaheim Police Department.Two men found shot to death at Anaheim GardenWalk on May 21, 2023. (OC Hawk)Two men found shot to death at Anaheim GardenWalk on May 21, 2023. (OC Hawk)Two men found shot to ...

CBD For Your Immunity- Does CBD Oil Help Or Hinder The Body’s Immune Response?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

To read the original article about Whether CBD Oil Helps or Hinders the Body’s Immune Response at Real Tested CBD.At the height of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, you may have seen ads reporting on CBD oil’s incredible “immune-boosting” properties. Some pundits even claim CBD could protect against serious viruses the same way many antioxidants can.While CBD oil shows great potential in the field of immunology, it may not have the effects you’d expect. People who want to use CBD for their immune health must understand the latest research in this evolving field.How Does CBD Influence The Immune System?As with many other aspects of CBD, we can’t say how this cannabinoid influences the immune response. There are far too few studies on humans to clearly understand how the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and CBD affect immunity.However, most current research into CBD for immune health suggests CBD is an all-natural immunosuppressant. While that may not seem like &#...

Driver hits Saratoga auto parts store employee with car

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

MAY 22Mail theft, check fraud: A Saratoga resident reported that someone stole mail a year prior from their mailbox in the 18000 block of Bellgrove Circle, and the mail contained a check that the victim discovered was cashed for a loss of about $5,000.Fraudulent license plate, unlicensed driver: At 8:55 a.m., deputies stopped a motorist at Saratoga Sunnyvale Road and Herriman Avenue for expired registration. An investigation revealed a fraudulent license plate was affixed to the vehicle and the suspect was unlicensed. The suspect was cited and released.False registration tab: At 12:29 p.m., deputies contacted a motorist in a vehicle parked at Pierce Road and Paramount Court for expired registration. An investigation revealed the suspect affixed a fraudulent registration tab to the vehicle. The suspect was cited and released.MAY 23Vehicle tampering: Between 9:50 a.m. and 8:40 p.m., someone tampered with a vehicle parked in the 18000 block of McFarland Avenue and stole the vehicle’s f...

Santa Clara County ponders 30-unit interim housing project for families

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

A recent decision by Santa Clara to forego sponsorship of a Project HomeKey development for homeless families leaves the fate of a proposed 30-unit interim housing complex in the hands of the more experienced, better equipped Santa Clara County, which will vote on the project next week.The Board of Supervisors will decide Tuesday whether to take on the responsibility of serving as the co-sponsor with the nonprofit LifeMoves on an application for critical state funding through Project HomeKey, the pandemic-era initiative that has helped convert and create housing for homeless individuals in California.Consuelo Hernandez, the director of the county’s office of supportive housing, said cities sometimes do not want to take on that role because, unlike the county, they don’t have dedicated resources for homelessness.“The county receives funding from the state that is supposed to be distributed county-wide,” she said. “For Santa Clara, that risk of having to ...

Owning a home in the Bay Area now costs twice as much renting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

Owning a home in the Bay Area now costs more than twice as much as renting one, the largest disparity of any major population center in the country, as homeownership stretches even further out of reach for many local residents.San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland tallied the biggest cost differences between renting and owning among U.S. cities, according to a new report by real estate listing site Redfin.In San Jose, the monthly mortgage payment for a typical newly purchased home is an estimated $11,049, a 165% premium on the median rental price of $4,176, the report found. In San Francisco, the discrepancy is 139%. It’s 99% in Oakland.In much of the rest of the country, a typical home costs 25% more to buy than rent.Redfin compared mortgage and rental costs for single-family homes, condos and townhouses in the 50 most populous U.S. metros. The report did not analyze apartment rental prices.While some people choose to rent — and forgo building home equity — because ...

SF Giants’ Wade talks historic Splash Hit, and what his plans are for the ball

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – Giants utilityman Lamonte Wade Jr. was able to get possession of his historic home run ball Friday night, a 385-foot blast that cleared the right field fence and landed into McCovey Cove on the fly.He just doesn’t quite know what will happen to the ball from here — although he has a good idea of what he wants to see happen.“I don’t know who it goes to. But I think personally it should go to me. I would like to keep it,” Wade said after the Giants’ 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. “So I’m pretty sure we will have discussions and negotiations about that. I think it should be mine.”Wade recorded the 100th Splash Hit in Giants history, as he drove a first-pitch fastball from Baltimore Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer into the water in the first inning before some folks in the announced Oracle Park crowd of 27,873 had even taken their seats.“I was trying to get a jump on a fastball early,” Wade said. “(Kremer’s) usually pretty good in the zone early. I...

Golden eagle’s nest halts roadwork on Contra Costa County connector

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:11 GMT

The eagle has landed — and work has stopped on a long-planned thoroughfare in eastern Contra Costa County.Now, East Contra Costa County residents who have long waited for Brentwood’s Sand Creek Road to connect to Antioch and a hospital along the route will have to wait a little longer.A golden eagle laid an egg in a nest in a eucalyptus tree near where a portion of the road would run just before work was to begin in late March. Because golden eagles are a protected species, no one will be lifting a shovel for several months now.When completed, the east-west thoroughfare linking southeast Antioch with Brentwood is expected to shave at least 10 minutes off a trip to the nearest hospital — Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center — and relieve traffic on the heavily used Lone Tree Way to the north.Heather Beeler, migratory bird biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said biologists working in the area first discovered the nest in 2018, but it has not alway...