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Authorities: Indian official directed NYC assassination plot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

By Larry Neumeister and Ashok Sharma | Associated PressNEW YORK — An Indian government official directed a plot to assassinate a prominent Sikh separatist leader living in New York City, U.S. prosecutors said Wednesday as they announced charges against a man they said was part of the thwarted murder conspiracy.U.S. officials became aware last spring of the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who advocated for the creation of a sovereign Sikh state and is considered a terrorist by the Indian government.The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration interceded and set up a sting, with an undercover agent posing as a hitman, after the conspirators recruited an international narcotics trafficker in the plot to murder the activist for $100,000.The Indian government official was not charged or identified by name in an indictment unsealed Wednesday but was described as a “senior field officer” with responsibilities in “security management” and “intelligence”...

Sale closed in Saratoga: $3 million for a three-bedroom home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

12293 Saratoga Creek Drive – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 12200 block of Saratoga Creek Drive in Saratoga has new owners. The 2,235-square-foot property, built in 1965, was sold on Nov. 9, 2023. The $2,980,000 purchase price works out to $1,333 per square foot. This single-story house has three bedrooms and three baths. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. In addition, the house provides a two-car garage, granting ample space for parking and storage purposes. The property’s backyard also includes both a spa and a pool.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:A 1,997-square-foot home on the 12300 block of Brookglen Drive in Saratoga sold in November 2023, for $3,205,000, a price per square foot of $1,605. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In April 2023, a 2,579-square-foot home on Kosich Drive in Saratoga sold for $2,970,000, a price per square foot of $1,152. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Obrad Drive, Saratoga...

Letters: Reform path | Trump sons’ credibility | Protests lacking | Destroying Hamas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.DA Price’s reformpath is right choiceRe: “DA Price is right to focus on reform”  (Page A6, Nov. 7).The fact that DA Pamela Price is focused on reform and rehabilitation shows why she’s the right choice.With crime on the rise, you would think people want solutions, but these recall fanatics are too busy focusing on politics. Price can’t do her job and fight to defend her job simultaneously. These recall people are part of the problem, not the solution.Statistics show mass incarceration doesn’t work. Its racist practice only has a negative impact on our community. Rehabilitation over mass incarceration is the progressive thinking we need in the East Bay.As someone who has been in prison since I was a teenager, I know firsthand the consequences of mistakes. I also know the solution is in rehabilitation. Justice reform is the progressive solution.John CrosthwaiteCSP-Sacram...

Google strikes deal with Canadian publishers over news content

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

By Brian Fung | CNNGoogle has agreed to pay Canadian publishers for their news content, backing down from a high-stakes threat to block all news content produced in the country on its platforms after the tech giant and the Canadian government announced a deal Wednesday to avert the looming crisis.The agreement resolves tensions between Google and Canada over a controversial law known as C-18 requiring digital platforms to compensate news publishers for their work.And it is the latest twist in a global debate over the role digital platforms play in facilitating — or stifling — news publishers, particularly small, independent outlets.Under the announced deal with Google, details of which remain murky because the law’s final regulations have yet to be formally published, the search giant will pay $100 million CAD ($73.5 million US) a year into a fund that will be distributed to publishers. Google’s contributions will be indexed to inflation, the Canadian government said.In addition, in...

Martinez residents sue refinery after a year of accidents shakes community

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

The Martinez Refining Company, already facing a series of investigations after a string of industrial accidents, is now being sued by two Martinez residents in a proposed class action lawsuit that demands the company cease operating until it proves it can do so safely.Related ArticlesEnvironment | Letters: Stop glyphosate use | A’s site | Hamas in the way | Not at fault | Trans protections Environment | US boosts protections for endangered wolverines Environment | Despite setbacks, states are still counting on offshore wind Environment | Jetliner crosses the Atlantic powered by tallow, waste fats Environment | Stray cats will be removed from historic Puerto Rico fortress The suit alleges that the beleaguered refinery, which has been responsible for numerous chemical releases into the community over the past year, has become a public nuisance that is causing severe harm to the residents of Martinez....

Australian officer charged after he tasered woman, 95, in rest home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

By Lianne Kolirin | CNNAn Australian police officer has been charged with manslaughter after he allegedly tasered a 95-year-old woman with dementia in a nursing home.Clare Nowland, a great-grandmother, died in hospital in May, one week after police were called to the home in Cooma, New South Wales, by care home staff who reported a resident armed with a knife.Kristian White, a 33-year-old senior constable, allegedly tasered Nowland at the home after asking her to drop a steak knife she was holding.Nowland, who had a walking aid, fell and hit her head, fracturing her skull.White, who has since been suspended from his role with pay, was initially charged with multiple offenses including recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and assault.In a statement published online on Wednesday, New South Wales Police said: “Following advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad have today laid an additional charge of Manslaughter against a 33...

Student stabbed at Santa Rosa high school, taken to hospital

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

(KRON) -- A Santa Rosa High School student was stabbed after a fight involving two students on campus Wednesday morning, Santa Rosa High School Principal Dr. Mark Ryan said in a letter. The stabbing happened before classes began.Two students were fighting near the football and baseball fields, and one of them was carrying a large kitchen knife in his waistband, according to the letter. The student stabbed the other student in his side and back. SF residents warned about Vanilla gift card scam amid holiday shopping season The student carrying the knife was seen on school surveillance cameras leaving campus. As of Wednesday afternoon, that student has not been found, according to the principal.The victim called a family member after being stabbed. The family took him to the hospital where he is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.The parent of the injured student notified school staff about 30 minutes after the stabbing took place, Ryan said. The school was not placed un...

SF officials release sketch in effort to identify dead man

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco officials are seeking help in identifying a man who died earlier this month, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) announced in a press release Wednesday. The San Francisco Police Department released a sketch of the man (above). The man died on Nov. 11. He is described to be a white man around 25 years old with red hair, green eyes and a full beard. SF residents warned about Vanilla gift card scam amid holiday shopping season On Nov. 11, the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) responded to a report of a man lying face down on the roof of a parking garage next to 355 Buckingham Way, which is near SF State's campus. The cause of his death is unknown at this time, according to OCME. In an "overwhelming majority" of cases, the OCME says it is able to identify a deceased individual within 24 hours. However, this is a "rare case" in which the agency cannot positively identify a subject -- despite using a fingerprint check, interviewing n...

Two residents sue Martinez Refining Company over chemical releases

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

(BCN) -- Two Martinez residents filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Martinez Refining Company, alleging the refinery has created a "public nuisance" by releasing chemicals into the surrounding community. Martinez residents Alena Cruz and Shannon Payne filed the suit Tuesday in Contra Costa County Superior Court against the Martinez Refining Company LLC, PBF Energy Inc., and PBF Energy Western Region LLC. Joe Cotchett, a partner at the law firm representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement, "After years of obfuscation and secrecy surrounding the refinery, finally the federal government, including the FBI is looking into this extremely concerning situation." On Thanksgiving night in 2022, the refinery released an estimated 20 to 24 tons of "spent catalyst" into the surrounding community until the following morning, when residents found their yards and vehicles covered in metallic dust. Oakland City Council meeting speakers accused of ‘supporting Hamas’ The refinery fail...

Tenderloin homicide Saturday being investigated by SFPD

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:22 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The San Francisco Police Department is investigating a shooting in the Tenderloin last Saturday as a homicide. SFPD responded on Nov. 25 at around 4:20 p.m. to a report of a shooting on the 200 block of Golden Gate Avenue, police said.Arriving at the scene, officers found two men suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Both were transported to the hospital. One of the victims, a 40-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said. Suspects who allegedly stole $1,500 in merchandise from Marshalls arrested The other victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.The SFPD homicide detail responded to the scene and took the lead in the investigation, which remains open and active, police said.