Uzbekistan’s foreign exchange transactions surge 24% in first half of 2025
The total value of foreign currency transactions between banks and individuals in Uzbekistan reached 14.5 billion U.S. dollars in the first six months...
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned 39 individuals convicted of non-violent crimes and commuted nearly 1,500 sentences, emphasizing justice reforms and addressing sentencing disparities.
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he was pardoning 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes and commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 others who were serving long prison terms.
The moves come over a week after the president signed an unconditional pardon for his son Hunter.
Officials said last week that the White House was listening to demands for Biden to extend the same grace to thousands of people wronged by the U.S. judicial system.
Biden said the people he granted clemency would have received shorter sentences if charged under today's laws, policies and practices.
Sources had told Reuters last week that the pardons being discussed included those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses and people identified by civil rights groups as unjustly incarcerated.
"As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses," Biden said.
The president added that he will take more steps in the weeks ahead and that his administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions.
The commutations announced were for those who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate the spread of the virus, experts say, rather than many individuals civil rights groups have been advocating for.
"We want Biden to look at those people and consider using his power even more in the upcoming weeks," said Tierra Bradford, senior program manager at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, one of the leading Democrats behind a letter to Biden last month urging him to issue clemency to Americans with nonviolent offenses, commended the president for taking "meaningful and historic action."
Her statement noted that he could take further steps to exercise his power during his remaining 39 days in office.
The White House said the clemencies granted by Biden were the most ever in a single day.
"The president takes this very, very seriously, and is going to review all options, especially ... the clemency petitions," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has said he would act on his first day in office to pardon rioters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, further building expectations for a broad granting of clemency.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
Germany's export slump since 2021 is largely driven by deep-rooted competitiveness issues, the Bundesbank warned in its latest report, calling for urgent structural reforms.
Israeli researchers have unveiled an artificial intelligence tool that can determine a person’s true biological age from tiny DNA samples with remarkable precision.
Two Harry Potter actresses, Emma Watson and Zoe Wanamaker, have each received a six-month driving ban after separate speeding offences, both sentenced on the same day at a Buckinghamshire court.
Nepal has banned access to the Telegram messaging app, citing its role in a growing number of online fraud and money laundering cases across the country.
North Korea has stopped foreign tourists from visiting its new Wonsan-Kalma resort just weeks after it welcomed the first Russian visitors.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in the U.S., though the company has not confirmed the claim.
The U.S. ambassador to Türkiye says Israel and Syria have reached a ceasefire deal supported by Türkiye, Jordan, and regional actors after cross-border strikes this week heightened tensions.
The Trump administration has completed a controversial prisoner swap with Venezuela, returning around 250 deported Venezuelans in exchange for 10 American detainees.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment