Latest news with #Hashemi
Business Mayor
12-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
5G internet will be available in Iran's metropolises by March
Sattar Hashemi said on Sunday that the government will hold auctions in the coming days for radio frequencies needed to expand Iran's 5G network, PressTV reported. 'We hope we can roll out the fifth generation of mobile (internet) in the country in the current year with a focus on metropolises,' Hashemi told reporters on the sidelines of an annual book fair in Tehran. He also said that Iran had reached an agreement with South Korean authorities to have the 5G option enabled in Samsung phones imported from the East Asian country. Hashemi later wrote on his X account that expanding the 5G network in Iran has been one of the main priorities of the country's telecoms ministry. He said that the 5G network will allow Iranian users to enjoy download speeds of up to 500 megabits per second (mbps). '… we will get to know the real meaning of online services, gaming, and movie streaming,' said the minister. The speed of mobile internet in Iran reached an average of 37.36 mbps in May last year, according to data from the international speed monitoring websites. The same data showed that Iran had moved up three places to 73rd in the global ranking of countries with regard to mobile internet speed in May. Figures released by Iran's Communications Regulatory Authority in August also showed that the number of 5G mast sites in the country had increased to a total of 1,313 in late March 2024. MP/ READ SOURCE
Hamilton Spectator
03-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
A space to call their own
After a year-long renovation, the much-loved Gallery Gachet is re-opening with a renewed focus on accessibility, community and resilience. The overhaul reimagines the exhibition space to better showcase artists' work, while expanding the gallery's role as a creative hub. There is improved ventilation, an expanded bathroom, and enhanced heating and cooling so that the space can become a place of refuge during extreme weather. With these changes, Gallery Gachet is reaffirming its commitment to fostering an inclusive, artist-centred environment for the Downtown Eastside. At first inspection, it's not easy to spot Gallery Gachet at 9 W. Hastings St. — safeguarded by a green steel grid gate. You could easily pass by without ever knowing it's a gallery. But Gallery Gachet has long been a vital space for marginalized artists, providing a platform to showcase their work and build community. Its mission is to support those who have experienced the mental health system, substance use, or social and political marginalization through art programs that centre creativity as a tool for survival, human rights and cultural participation. Every Monday, the gallery hosts art drop-ins, fostering a supportive and thriving environment where community members can connect and create. Founded as a cooperative in 1992 and a non-profit society in 1993, Gallery Gachet takes its name from Dr. Paul Gachet — Vincent van Gogh's doctor in his final years. A supporter of struggling artists, Gachet not only treated Van Gogh after his release from the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in France, but also advocated for him, encouraging his artistic pursuits as a form of healing. The gallery follows this spirit by providing a haven for artists with lived experience in the mental health system, many of whom identify as psychiatrized survivors. Originally located in Strathcona, Gallery Gachet relocated to the Downtown Eastside in 2000, where it has become deeply embedded in the neighbourhood. The gallery has expanded its programming beyond member-driven exhibitions to offer art that embraces community activism and social justice themes. Sol Hashemi, artist and co-founder of the Veronica Project Space in Seattle, Wash., currently holds the position of communications director at Gallery Gachet. When Megaphone asked Hashemi why it was important to have a gallery like Gachet, he responded, 'Throughout its history, Gachet has been an important space for marginalized people to come together through art.' Hashemi said that the gallery's commitment to supporting marginalized artists and communities is 'deeply rooted in its mandate and values,' recognizing the unique contributions of artists who are often overlooked by the art world, including those who are self-taught, disabled or who simply 'operate differently than the artistic mainstream.' For Hashemi, the most memorable show at Gachet to date was Dion Smith-Dokkie's This Will Be the First of a Thousand Worlds We Give Life To, a 2023 exhibition featuring stretched acrylic skin paintings and works exploring themes of mapping. Smith-Dokkie's work delves into neo-colonialism, highlighting gestures that assert Indigenous autonomy in the face of continuing settler colonial dispossession. The Gallery is a unique niche in the art community and its future looks colourful and bright. They will be holding a reception on May 8th, 6–8pm, 2025, in conjunction with the upcoming exhibition, An Injury on the Diasporic Imagination. Visit the gallery's website for details and exhibitions: . Jathinder Sandhu is a Surrey resident and a published poet, writer and member of The Shift peer newsroom. She won writing contests in high school, studied poetry post-secondary and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in communications. Jathinder also plays bass guitar.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DC area college students have visas revoked by US State Department
WASHINGTON () — The U.S. State Department is revoking the visas of hundreds of international students, including those in the DMV. Students told DC News Now they're worried for their friends and classmates. Georgetown University said 10 of its community members had their immigration status terminated and that the government didn't inform the University. 'I think it's a gross violation of human rights and the Constitution. And I think it's a very grave sign for the future of free speech in this country,' said Georgetown University student Izzy Volpe. Visas revoked for several international students at George Mason University, officials say The school is warning students that the Department of Homeland Security is considering social media activity in its review of immigration benefit applications now. 'Every day, literally, people are wondering whether they are going to be next in line,' said Georgetown University Associate Professor Nader Hashemi. Hashemi is the director of the Georgetown University Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. 'No one would ever think that some student would get hauled off in the middle of the night, because they express an opinion on some global conflict, in this case, Israel-Palestine. That's what's happening,' Hashemi said. 'I won't stop trying': Senator travels to El Salvador to secure return of wrongly deported man Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government is focused on visa holders acting 'counter to national interests,' including some who protested Israel's war in Gaza and those who face criminal charges. 'With them revoking the visas, I feel like that's definitely overkill and an abuse of power,' said George Mason University student Jace Tate. George Mason University's (GMU) president said have had their visas revoked without notice. 'We will do whatever the law permits to assist our students, and we are actively exploring what those options may be,' said GMU President Gregory Washington. Diego Barbara, president of the Jewish fraternity AEPI at GMU, said he supports free speech and people supporting the Palestinians. 'My problem is if you are not a citizen of this country and you are speaking out in support of a terrorist organization directly,' Barbara said. A tracker from the website shows more than 1,300 students from more than 210 colleges and universities have been affected. 'I hate to say this because I'm part of the American educational system. If an international student today asked me whether they should come to the United States, I would say: think again. You're probably safer going to Canada,' Hashemi said. George Washington University spokesperson Shannon McClendon said they are aware of a small number of students who had visas revoked. 'The university continues to assist affected students and provides immigration and safety information and other useful information to our students and community members,' McClendon said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Al Jazeera
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Georgetown researcher arrest escalates Trump speech crackdown, scholars say
Washington, DC – Nader Hashemi, a professor of Middle East and Islamic politics at Georgetown University, has been a vocal critic of efforts to silence pro-Palestine protesters and academics amid Israel's war in Gaza. Those efforts reached new heights under the administration of President Donald Trump, which last week took the extraordinary measure of detaining and seeking to deport Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent resident married to a US citizen. Then, immigration authorities came for one of Hashemi's own students. Earlier this week, agents detained Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, which Hashemi directs. 'It's shocking, and it sort of confirms our worst fears that authoritarian repression on American universities is expanding under the Trump administration,' said Hashemi. Civil liberties groups and rights observers have decried — and challenged — Khalil's attempted deportation, which Hashemi and other observers describe as an extension of the anti-Palestinian bias in the US government. That has often involved conflating anti-Jewish sentiment and support for Hamas, which the US categorises as a 'terrorist organisation', with statements criticising Israeli military action or support for Palestinians, they say. But Hashemi and his colleagues see the targeting of Suri, who is in the US on a student visa, as going a step further, given that he was detained not for public protests but for his alleged personal views. Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown who focuses on Palestinian-Israel affairs, said the Trump administration's enforcement efforts appear to be entering 'a different realm with this case', extending beyond student visa holders and US residents sanctioned for their protest activity. 'This person seems to have been targeted, not for his activism,' he said, 'but simply for being suspected of holding certain views.' 'Adverse foreign policy consequences' For its part, the US Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had approved Suri's deportation. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Rubio made the determination by citing the same law used to justify the attempted deportation of Khalil. It is a provision of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act that gives the secretary of state power to remove any non-citizen whose presence in the US is deemed to have 'adverse foreign policy consequences'. McLaughlin accused Suri of 'actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media', without providing further details. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for further information from Al Jazeera. She also said Suri 'has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior adviser to Hamas'. On Wednesday, Suri's wife, Mapheze Saleh, confirmed to Al Jazeera that she is a US citizen. Meanwhile, Ahmed Yousef, a former adviser to assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, confirmed to The New York Times that Suri was his son-in-law. Yousef told the newspaper he had left his position in the political wing of Hamas over a decade ago and has publicly criticised the group's decision to attack Israel on October 7, 2023. He said that Suri was not involved in 'political activism', much less support for Hamas. Suri has roundly rejected the allegations against him, his lawyer, Hassan Ahmad, told US media. His legal team, which includes the Virginia office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has filed a petition at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia seeking his release. He remained at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centre in Louisiana on Thursday. In a statement on Wednesday, Georgetown University also said it supports its community members 'rights to free and open deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable'. Meanwhile, the Alwaleed Center issued a passionate defence of Suri on Thursday, saying he has become the victim of a 'campaign by the Trump Administration to destroy higher education in the United States and punish their political opponents'. 'Direct threat to learning' Both Suri and his wife Saleh had previously been singled out by 'Campus Watch', a project out of the Middle East Forum that says it 'reviews and critiques Middle East studies in North American universities'. Critics have accused the project of being a tool to silence criticism of Israel in higher education. Hashemi, meanwhile, described Suri as a 'very respected and serious academic'. 'In many ways, [Suri] was the exact opposite to Mahmoud Khalil, in the sense that he was not an organiser or a leader. He was simply a researcher and postdoctoral fellow at our centre,' Hashemi said, 'who was just working on themes of minority rights, majoritarianism and the problem of authoritarianism.' Elgindy, meanwhile, said the Trump administration continues to embrace a 'dangerous conflation' when it comes to complex discussions of Palestinian rights and resistance. 'Really any expression of solidarity with Palestinians or criticism of Israel is deemed in and of itself, to be both anti-Semitic and inherently supportive of terrorism and Hamas,' he said. Elgindy described a 'genuine atmosphere of fear' when it comes to open academic debate on the complex realities that define the Israel-Palestine conflict. 'It really cuts to the heart of academic freedom — if people have to censor themselves, if students are afraid to ask certain questions or raise certain points because maybe someone in the class is recording and is going to share with some of these extremist groups out there that have been doxxing students,' he said. 'The intent is to chill debate and to make people second guess whether they should express certain views at all.' A 'blatant attack' On Thursday, Congressman Don Beyer, who represents northern Virginia, also weighed in on Suri's detainment, calling it a violation of his right to 'due process' and a 'blatant attack on the First Amendment', referring to the US Constitution's protections for freedom of speech. His statement offered a preview of the principles likely to be raised in federal courts. The Trump administration has taken the broad position that those constitutional rights are not extended to temporary visa holders or even US permanent residents. But courts have largely upheld the right of immigrants to enjoy free speech, the freedom of assembly and other basic liberties. Beyer called for a judge to swiftly make a ruling on Suri's challenge to his imminent deportation, pointing to 'the administration's track record of attempting to deny constitutional rights in ways that are difficult to undo before judicial remedies can be provided'. Late Thursday, a federal judge barred the Trump administration from immediately deporting Suri. His lawyers told Reuters news agency he was awaiting a date for a hearing in immigration court. Both Hashemi and Elgindy, meanwhile, pointed to the need for the academic community to take a firm stand against Trump's actions, while acknowledging the difficult landscape educators and administrators face. Beyond the risks to professors on temporary work visas, Trump has also pledged to cut federal funds to institutions that do not take severe enough measures against protesters and 'agitators'. His administration has already cut $400m in grants and contracts for Columbia University. 'I think the worst is yet to come,' Hashemi said. 'Unless the people stand up and push back.'
CBS News
06-03-2025
- CBS News
Baltimore man sentenced after pleading guilty to setting fire outside Jewish Museum in Maryland
A Baltimore man pleaded guilty and was sentenced Wednesday to setting a fire outside the Jewish Museum of Maryland, according to court records. Police arrested 66-year-old Assadollah Hashemi after a fire was set outside the front gates of the museum on August 4, 2024. The incident was captured on a security camera. The museum is located on Lloyd Street, between two synagogues. Baltimore police said Hashemi had a history of fire-related crimes. He was arrested by SWAT officers at his home in Baltimore. Howard Libit, the Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, said a construction crew found the remnants of the fire. The museum had been closed for renovations. "It's hard to believe someone would randomly light a small fire outside an institution that's clearly labeled as Jewish between two historic synagogues that there's not some antisemitic or anti-Israel intent," Libit told WJZ. Hashemi was accused of a hate crime and faced arson charges. He was denied bond, and during the bond hearing, he had several violent outbursts. Ultimately, Hashemi pleaded guilty to setting a fire and damaging a religious building on Wednesday. According to court records, he was sentenced to 18 years with all but 208 days, or about six months, suspended. Hashemi has also been ordered to serve five years of probation after he is released. According to our partners at the Baltimore Banner, Hashemi will be required to follow a health treatment plan and report back to the court after he said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and drug abuse. "I was out of my mind because I was under the influence of cocaine," he said during a hearing. "I wasn't thinking. I accept everything." Hashemi is required to stay away from the Jewish Museum of Maryland as a condition of his probation, the Baltimore Banner reported.
