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☆ Iran says U.S. should explain links to convicted dual national Sharmahd
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Iranian and U.S. flags are seen printed on paper in this illustration taken January 27, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The United States should explain its links to the Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd sentenced to death in Iran, Tehran's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, adding that progress had been made in a prisoner swap deal with Washington. Sharmahd, who also has U.S. residency, was sentenced to death by an Iranian Revolutionary court in February on charges of "corruption on earth". His daughter has urged Washington not to exclude Sharmahd from the developing prisoner exchange deal between the United States and Iran, under which $6 billion in Iranian funds in South Korea would also be unfrozen. Reporting by Dubai newsroom; writing by Parisa Hafezi; editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jamshid Sharmahd, Nasser Kanaani's, Abram Paley, Sharmahd, Kanaani, Parisa, Andrew Cawthorne, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Iranian, REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, Dubai, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, German, Iran, Washington, Iranian, South Korea, Islamic Republic, Qatar, Oman

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. envoy for Iran met on Friday with the family of Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd, who was sentenced to death in February in Iran after being convicted of heading a pro-monarchist group accused of a deadly 2008 bombing. loading"I welcomed the opportunity to meet with Jamshid Sharmahd’s family today. He should have never been detained in Iran, and we hope to see the day he is reunited with his loved ones," Paley wrote. Responding to the post, Gazelle Sharmahd said she had told Paley she needed "actions" and that her father must be part of whatever is agreed to free U.S. nationals. Iran's intelligence ministry at the time described him as "the ringleader of the terrorist Tondar group, who directed armed and terrorist acts in Iran from America."

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jamshid Sharmahd, Abram Paley, Sharmahd's, Shayan, Gazelle, Jamshid Sharmahd’s, Paley, Gazelle Sharmahd, Sharmahd, X, Eric Beech, Jasper Ward, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Biden Administration, Thomson Locations: U.S, Iran, German, America, Los Angeles, Assembly, Jasper

☆ Jamshid Sharmahd: US envoy meets family of German-Iranian sentenced to death in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Alex Stambaugh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A US envoy for Iran met on Friday with the family of Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd, who has been imprisoned and sentenced to death in Iran. He was sentenced to death last February for “corruption on Earth”, which sparked widespread condemnation from human rights groups and Western governments. Iranian-German national and US resident Jamshid Sharmahd attends his trial at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on Feb. 6, 2022. Koosha Mahshid Falahi/Mizan News Agency/APIn a statement following the decision, the European Union said Iranian authorities denied consular access to Sharmahd, despite his German nationality. In response to Paley’s statement, Gazelle Sharmahd urged the US government to help free her father.

Persons: Jamshid Sharmahd, “, Jamshid Sharmahd’s, Abram Paley, Sharmahd’s, Shayan, Gazelle, ”, Koosha Mahshid, Vedant Patel, Gazelle Sharmahd Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Iranian, European Union, Revolutionary, Mizan News Agency, AP, US State Department, State, Biden Administration Locations: Iran, German, Shiraz, Western, United States, Tehran

Now, the man who had been tasked with reviving a nuclear deal to constrain that program has been sidelined. Progress on nuclear talks, as well as the fate of detained Americans in Iran, is likely to boost the incumbents in the polls, analysts have said. Malley was one of the architects of the 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran under the Obama administration. The administration began negotiations to re-enter an Iran nuclear agreement later that year. “US policy is informed by the administration’s national security calculations, and not any one person in the national security apparatus,” Vaez said.

Persons: Biden, Rob Malley, Malley, Abram Paley, Paley, Jake Sullivan, sidelining, Obama, Donald Trump, Obama’s, Israel, Malley’s sidelining, Nasser Kanani, Javed Gurban Oghli, Israel ”, Gabriel Noronha, Trump, “, ” Noronha, ”, Ali Vaez, Vaez, ” Vaez, Foad Izadi, Ebrahim Raisi, Brett McGurk, McGurk, ” McGurk Organizations: CNN — United, CNN, State Department, Representative, US National, Crisis Group, ICG, Islamic, Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian, Jewish Institute for National Security of, Iran, US State Department, “, University of Tehran’s Faculty of World Studies, US National Security Council, Middle, National Security Council Locations: Iran, Tehran, Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Islamic Republic, Iranian, Middle East, Oman, Syria

WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) - A powerful Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives has asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken for details about an investigation into the security clearance of the U.S. envoy for Iran, amid reports he may have mishandled classified documents. Citing media reports, Michael McCaul, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to Blinken on Friday, asking why the State Department's special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, was placed on unpaid leave after his security clearance was suspended earlier this year to investigate the alleged mishandling of classified documents. "Given the gravity of the situation, it is imperative that the Department expeditiously provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding Special Envoy Malley's clearance suspension and investigation and the Department's statements to Congress regarding Special Envoy Malley," McCaul wrote Blinken in a letter posted on the panel's website. On Thursday, Malley told Reuters: "I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. Appointed soon after Democratic President Joe Biden took office in 2021, Malley had the task of trying to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Michael McCaul, Blinken, Rob Malley, Malley, McCaul, Joe Biden, Donald Trump's, Iran Abram Paley, Brett McGurk, Valerie Volcovici, Arshad Mohammed, William Mallard Organizations: Republican, U.S . House, U.S, Foreign Affairs, State, State Department, Reuters, Democratic, reimposed, Iranian, National Security, Thomson Locations: U.S, Iran, reimposed U.S, Tehran, United States, East, North, Washington, Saint Paul , Minnesota

☆ Here’s what we know about Meta’s planned Twitter competitor that has Elon Musk upset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks about the Facebook News feature at the Paley Center For Media in New York on Oct. 25, 2019. For months, Meta has been working on a Twitter-like, text-based social media network that would compete with Twitter and the bevy of clone apps that have gained prominence since Elon Musk took Twitter private in 2022. News of the plans have inspired a public spat between Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, culminating in a joking challenge to engage in a physical "cage match" fight in Las Vegas. But given deep cuts to trust and safety teams at Meta and throughout the social media industry, content moderation may prove to be a challenge. Many advertisers fled Twitter after controversial content surged in the wake of Musk's acquisition.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Elon Musk, Here's what's Organizations: Facebook, Paley Center For Media, Twitter, Elon, CNBC, Meta Locations: New York, Las Vegas

☆ Why cutting middle management is a bad idea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The push to cut middle managers will backfire on tech. Companies like Amazon, Meta, and Salesforce embarked on cost-cutting efforts that "flattened" org charts by removing middle managers, starting a trend across Silicon Valley. Middle managers, or what Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls "managers managing managers," saw their roles shrink in the past year as tech companies focus on "individual contributors," increasingly requiring managers to do coding work themselves. But losing middle managers could also impact team morale and how employees look at their futures in the company. It comes despite Musk recently signing an open letter calling for an industry-wide halt to any AI training for several months.

☆ Some VC firms have started moving money back into Silicon Valley Bank, marking the latest turn in the bank's wild week
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some VC firms have started moving their money back to Silicon Valley Bank. The bridge bank took over the deposits of the Silicon Valley Bank, a financial institution that served nearly half of all US venture-backed companies, per its website. Another group of VC firms also came out in support of Silicon Valley Bank, issuing a joint statement on Tuesday. Taneja also started a drive for VC firms to express their support for Silicon Valley Bank over the weekend. The bank run at Silicon Valley Bank triggered concerns about the financial health of smaller, regional banks in the US, spurring a crisis of confidence in the sector.

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery sues Paramount over 'South Park' streaming rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Warner Bros. Discovery sued Paramount Global looking to enforce the streaming rights of "South Park," setting the stage for a legal battle between two media behemoths as the streaming wars intensify. Discovery filed a lawsuit against Paramount, South Park Digital Studios and MTV Entertainment seeking hundreds of millions of dollars for what it believes was a breach of contract. During the bidding process for the "South Park" rights, the filing said, Paramount allegedly asked whether Warner Bros. Discovery plans to launch a combined HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming service this spring.

This is Matt Weinberger, deputy editor of Insider's tech analysis team and your host for today. The one port in this particular storm is Apple, which is still the only major tech company not to do layoffs in recent weeks. Mark Zuckerberg just ushered in a new era of tech. In recent months, layoffs have swept just about every major tech company (except, notably, Apple). Enter Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook's parent company Meta, who officially rang in the new era on Wednesday when he declared that 2023 would be the "year of efficiency" at the social network.

☆ 11 podcasts that busy venture capitalists and founders say they trust right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Investors at JetBlue Ventures, Mighty Capital, and other VC firms shared their favorite podcasts. Another recommendation is "Origins" by partners at the biotech VC firm Notation Capital. Here are 11 great options, recommended by VCs, founders, CEOs, and other industry insiders. "The main thing about the VC world is building relationships, and Harry is an example of a great networker," Gershfeld said. "BTC is the single-most important asset in the world, and that podcast gets to the heart of why that is."

☆ 'Healthy embarrassment' can help you reach your goals next year—here's how, from a Zen teacher
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But when they sleep in instead of going to the gym, or impulsively purchase a pricey coat, they can feel defeated and disappointed. Instead of feeling paralyzed by shame, we should strive to experience a sort of "healthy embarrassment" Koshin Paley Ellison, a Zen teacher and the co-founder of New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, said on the podcast Ten Percent Happier this year. "It's really important to have a humble, healthy embarrassment to realizing how while most of us know what we value and care about, we very rarely actually are behaving in those ways," he says. Having healthy embarrassment can help us reach our goals in a way that shame can't. Shame feels 'so personal'Ellison had this revelation about embarrassment while practicing Buddhism's Noble Eightfold Path.

☆ Why corporate leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Evan Spiegel are all apologizing for the massive layoffs at their companies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Sarah Belle Lin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Since the pandemic, the largest tech layoffs have been at Meta, Getir, Booking.com, Twitter, Uber, Better.com., Peloton, and Groupon, Layoffs.fyi data show. Now companies in tech are reversing some of the huge hiring that they did in the past couple of years, Lee said. Mark Zuckerberg, MetaFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks about "News Tab" at the Paley Center, in New York on October 25, 2019. In the memo he wrote: "Many people predicted this would be a permanent acceleration that would continue even after the pandemic ended. Jack Dorsey, ex-CEO TwitterTwitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in Washington, DC, in 2018.

☆ Picasso’s ‘Guitar on a Table,’ Long Held by MoMA, Sells for $37.1 Million at Sotheby’s
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Kelly Crow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The cubist ‘Guitar on a Table’ was painted by Pablo Picasso in 1919 and acquired by William Paley in 1946. A foundation for CBS founder William Paley has started selling off a trove of masterpieces long lent to New York’s Museum of Modern Art to fund an expansion of the museum’s digital footprint—including a Pablo Picasso that sold Monday for $37.1 million. The sale at Sotheby’s landed a week after Christie’s made auction history selling Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen ’s $1.5 billion art estate. While Mr. Allen’s art stirred up a marketing bonanza, collectors and dealers say they will be seeking clues about the market’s broader strength during these remaining sales in New York’s fall series.

☆ I spent $100,000 on leg-lengthening surgery to help my career. It was unbelievably painful, but I have no regrets.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Victoria Goldiee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Rich Rotella, 38, is an actor who had limb-lengthening surgery to advance his career. The surgery itself took four hours, but the recovery is the most time-consuming part — it's a slow, painful process. Rotella in a wheelchair after his limb-lengthening surgery. Rotella on a bike machine during his rehab from limb-lengthening surgery. I don't pay heed to negative reactions that I've gotten from the people around me who still think I was wrong to do this, because limb-lengthening surgery is just like any other cosmetic surgery.

☆ Big Tech falters on dreary earnings and forecasts for Q4— Meta has worst week ever, Amazon tumbles 13%
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Other than Apple , it was a brutal earnings week for Big Tech. Alphabet , Amazon , Meta and Microsoft combined lost over $350 billion in market cap after offering concerning commentary for the third quarter and the remainder of the year. Between slowing revenue growth — or declines in Meta's case — and efforts to control costs, the tech giants have found themselves in an unfamiliar position after unbridled growth in the past decade. In Amazon's ad business, revenue growth accelerated to 30% from 21%, topping analysts' estimates. Analyst Aaron Kessler at Raymond James lowered his price target on Amazon stock to $130 from $164 after the results.

☆ NFL Sunday Ticket still up for grabs as Apple pushes for flexibility with game rights
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A partnership with Apple would allow the NFL to build a relationship with the deepest-pocketed company in the world. But existing restrictions around Sunday Ticket have slowed negotiations between Apple and the NFL in recent months, according to people familiar with the matter. The NFL and Apple, two of the most powerful corporate entities in the world, are used to getting what they want. "We weren't interested in buying sports rights," Cue said this week at a Paley Center for Media panel in New York. Those deals guarantee exclusivity of local games.

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