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L.A. Times Studios Releases Podcast Series ‘L.A. Crimes'

L.A. Times Studios Releases Podcast Series ‘L.A. Crimes'

L.A. Times Studios today released 'L.A. Crimes,' a video podcast delving into the biggest cases and long-running investigations in Los Angeles. The series is hosted by Madison McGhee, true crime podcast creator and host of 'Ice Cold Case.' The first episode is available now on all podcast platforms.
The weekly podcast will feature conversations with Los Angeles Times reporters sharing a rare behind-the-scenes look at their reporting process, plus crime experts and pop culture personalities sharing their insights on some of the most consequential crime cases shaping L.A. today, from scams and celebrity stories to notorious criminal cases.
'We're thrilled to continue expanding our podcast offerings with the launch of our latest series, 'L.A. Crimes,'' said Anna Magzanyan, president of L.A. Times Studios. 'With host Madison McGhee leading conversations alongside esteemed Los Angeles Times reporters and special guests, each episode unpacks notable crime cases through compelling storytelling and new perspectives that will captivate listeners.'
The debut episode features Times Staff Writer Richard Winton and journalist Josh Mankiewicz discussing the notorious Menendez brothers case, including the latest legal updates for Lyle and Erik, who have served more than 35 years in prison. Upcoming episodes include Times Staff Writer Harriet Ryan detailing the case of Tom Girardi defrauding clients and The Times' Clara Harter on the suspected homicide deaths in California prisons this year.
'Boiling Point,' 'Crimes of The Times,' 'The Envelope' and 'Dodgers Debate' round out the L.A. Times and L.A. Times Studios collection of podcasts available to download now. Additional podcast series are in development with launch dates to be announced.
The first episode of 'L.A. Crimes' is available now to download or stream, with new episodes released weekly. Exclusive bonus content is available to L.A. Times Studios Podcasts+ subscribers.
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War crimes likely committed by both sides in Syria sectarian violence, UN commission says
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War crimes likely committed by both sides in Syria sectarian violence, UN commission says

Some 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were reported killed during the violence that primarily targeted Alawite communities, and reports of violations continue. War crimes were likely committed by both members of the interim government forces and fighters loyal to Syria's former rulers during a major outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria's coastal areas that culminated in a series of March massacres, a UN team of investigators found in a report on Thursday. Some 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were reported killed during the violence that primarily targeted Alawite communities, and reports of violations continue, according to a report by the UN Syria Commission of Inquiry. The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad last year, prompting the interim government to name a fact-finding committee. A Reuters investigation found 1,479 Syrian Alawites were killed and dozens were missing from 40 distinct sites of revenge killings, rampages and looting. Five major groups were involved in the mass killings that followed in Alawite towns and neighborhoods, many of which were struck by multiple groups over three days: HTS Units These include Unit 400, the Othman Brigade, and its main law enforcement body, known as the General Security Service. Reuters found their involvement in at least 10 sites, where nearly 900 people were killed. Before Assad fell, the GSS was the main HTS law enforcement arm in the province of Idlib under its control. It is now part of Syria's Interior Ministry. In 2020, the UN described 'deeply troubling' reports of executions and abuses at the hands of HTS law enforcement authorities. Human Rights Watch documented how HTS, then known as the Nusra Front, killed 149 Alawites in summary executions in Latakia in 2013. Unit 400 is mentioned in a handful of online posts, none of them from official Syrian government accounts. Several of them posted in early December, using identical language, say Unit 400 fighters were being deployed to western Syria. The posts describe Unit 400 as "among the strongest units" in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, having received "high levels of training and equipped with the most modern weaponry." Unit 400 was moved to the coastal regions after Assad's fall, according to multiple witnesses and a member of the unit. A foreign intelligence source said the unit set up its headquarters in the former Syrian naval academy and answers only to the top levels of the Defense Ministry. Turkish-backed militias Over the past decade, Turkey launched military incursions in Syria and backed rebels there to oppose both Assad and Kurdish forces it deems a threat. These factions were part of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, Syria's second largest opposition coalition. SNA factions have a track record of abductions, sexual violence and widespread looting, according to Human Rights Watch and other rights groups. Among those Turkey backed during the civil war were the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade and the Hamza division. In the Alawite killings, Reuters found the involvement of those two groups in at least eight different sites where nearly 700 people were killed. On his Facebook page, a militiaman affiliated with the Sultan Suleiman Shah division posted: 'Turn off cameras. Kill every male. Their blood is as dirty as pigs.' Sunni factions These include the anti-Assad rebel forces of Jayish al-Islam, Jayish al-Ahrar and Jayish al-Izza. Reuters found they were present in at least four sites where nearly 350 people were killed. In 2013, Jayish al-Islam captured a number of Alawite women and men and put them in large metal cages to use as human shields from Syrian and Russian airstrikes in Damascus. The group is also blamed by rights groups for the disappearance of prominent activists during the revolution. Foreign fighters These include the Turkistan Islamic Party, or TIP, Uzbeks, Chechens, and some Arab fighters in six sites where Reuters found nearly 500 people were killed. Armed Sunni civilians Sectarian bitterness stemming from years of civil war and Assad's abuses led people to attack neighboring villages and neighborhoods of Alawites, a minority linked to the Assad family. Reuters found the two main sites of these revenge killings were the village of Arza and in the city of Baniyas, where a total of 300 people were killed.

Live Updates: Zelensky Says He'll Meet With Trump After U.S.-Russia Summit Yields No Deal
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When the International Criminal Court accused President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia of war crimes in 2023 and issued a warrant for his arrest, the move was largely symbolic because there was little chance he would stand trial. But it immediately jeopardized Mr. Putin's ability to travel to the more than 120 countries that have signed on to the I.C.C. They include almost every nation in Europe and dozens more in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They are all legally required to arrest Mr. Putin and send him to The Hague if he sets foot on their soil. But Mr. Putin's visit to Alaska on Friday highlighted a notable exception. To prevent the world's highest criminal court from being used to prosecute Americans, the United States has long refused to join the I.C.C., created over 20 years ago under the 1998 Rome Statute to handle accusations of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. As a result, the United States is virtually the only country in the West that Mr. Putin can visit without worrying about arrest. Only a handful of other major powers, including China, India, Russia and Israel, have abstained from becoming signatories to the court. Even before the I.C.C. warrant for Mr. Putin was issued, it had been rare for him to travel abroad. He spent the first two years of the Covid pandemic in Russia, a period of isolation that some U.S. intelligence officials speculated might have heightened his appetite for risk and influenced his decision to launch the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The I.C.C. has accused Mr. Putin of bearing criminal responsibility for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children after Russia launched its invasion. But the court cannot try absent defendants, and Russia, which is not a party to the I.C.C., has dismissed the warrants as 'meaningless.' Though the court has no enforcement mechanism, the symbolic weight of its arrest warrant for Mr. Putin has forced members and nonmembers alike to decide whether they are willing to take the diplomatic risk of hosting a wanted man. That risk has not been enough to stop several countries that are friendly with Moscow — or reliant on it — from welcoming Mr. Putin. Since 2023, he has made repeated visits to China, Belarus and several Central Asian countries. In September, he was given a red-carpet welcome in Mongolia, which is a party to the I.C.C. but depends on neighboring Russia for most of its fuel. Mongolia isn't the only country to have defied its obligation to the court. South Africa did so in 2015, when it allowed Omar Hassan al-Bashir, then the Sudanese president, to fly in and out of Johannesburg while he was wanted by the I.C.C. on accusations of genocide and war crimes in his country's Darfur region. Mr. Bashir remains at large, a prominent example of the court's limitations. Last year, South Africa faced a dilemma over whether to permit Mr. Putin to attend the annual summit of BRICS nations. After months of speculation, the Kremlin announced that Mr. Putin would attend remotely. Mr. Putin is one of only a few sitting leaders facing an outstanding arrest warrant from the I.C.C. Another is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, whom the court last year accused of carrying out war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Mr. Netanyahu's office has categorically rejected what it called 'absurd and false accusations.' The United States, Israel's chief ally, also denounced the I.C.C. warrant for Mr. Netanyahu's arrest, and President Trump has since hosted the Israeli leader three times at the White House.

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Hochul pardons ex-con migrants — including one who killed man

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