Athens, Greece
CNN
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Greek police have brought five people in for questioning in the case of murdered UC Berkeley professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski, who was shot dead on July 4 while visiting Athens to see his children and attend a family custody hearing.

One of the five individuals is the professor’s ex-wife, Greek police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou told CNN.

“Five people have been taken in for questioning, two Greeks and three non-Greek nationals,” the police spokesperson said. “We are waiting to see if arrest warrants will be issued.”

Jeziorski, 43, an economist and professor of marketing at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, was shot multiple times at close range in a residential suburb of Athens and died at the scene, according to police.

A masked gunman “approached the victim on foot and opened fire from close range” at about 4:15 p.m., hitting the victim in the neck and chest, according to police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou. Seven bullet casings from a 9mm caliber firearm were found at the scene, police said.

Eyewitnesses described seeing a masked man in black who approached the victim on foot, with one telling local media that she heard about six shots and saw the perpetrator run from the scene.

The shooting happened near the home of Jeziorski’s ex-wife in the suburb of Agia Paraskevi, one day after the father-of-two attended a custody court hearing, police said.

CNN has reached out to Jeziorski’s ex-wife for comment.

A senior police source, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly, previously told CNN that “all scenarios are being examined including close family members” and that the murder “bore signs of a contract killing.”

Police said Jeziorski had no criminal record in Greece.

Jeziorski’s family started a fundraiser to repatriate his remains to his native Poland and pay for legal representation in Greece.

“Our family is heartbroken, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served,” his brother Łukasz Jeziorski wrote on the online fundraising page.

UC Berkeley said in a statement that Jeziorski “had a passion for teaching” and during his 13 years there, he taught data analytics skills to more than 1,500 graduate and PhD students.

The dean of UC Berkeley’s business school, Jenny Chatman, said she was “heartbroken” by the death of Jeziorski, who she described as a “beloved member of our marketing faculty.”

CNN
 — 

A huge fire has consumed the main stage of Belgium’s world-famous Tomorrowland festival, days ahead of its planned opening on Friday.

“Due to a serious incident and fire on the Tomorrowland Mainstage, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged,” festival organizers said in a statement Wednesday evening.

“We can confirm that no one was injured during the incident.”

Video showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from the festival grounds in Boom, Belgium on Wednesday. Fireworks could also be seen and heard going off in the distance.

The festival’s main stage has almost completely burned down, according to Belgium public broadcaster VRT, which added that emergency services are on the scene but the fire is not yet under control.

No festival-goers were on site at the time of the fire, but about 1000 staff members were present, who have now been evacuated, VRT reported.

The electronic dance music festival was due to start on Friday.

Organizers said in their statement that the site’s “DreamVille” campsite will open on Thursday as planned and they are “focused on finding solutions for the festival weekend.”

Local police confirmed the fire in a post on X and encouraged people to stay away from the smoke and give way to emergency services.

It is unclear how the fire started, VRT reported.

CNN’s Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed to this report.

CNN
 — 

A Spanish government official has called for an investigation into Barcelona star Lamine Yamal’s 18th birthday party after a prominent disability activist group said organizers of the event hired people with dwarfism “solely for entertainment and attractions” in contravention of Spanish law.

Yamal hosted the party on Sunday at a private property he had rented in the small town of Olivella, 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) southwest of Barcelona, with several online influencers in attendance along with Barça teammates.

The Association of People with Achondroplasia and other Skeletal Dysplasias in Spain (ADEE) said in a statement that it “denounces the hiring of people with dwarfism as entertainment” at the party.

“We will take action through legal and social channels,” the ADEE added.

ADEE President Carolina Puente added in the statement: “It’s unacceptable in the 21st century that people with dwarfism are still used as amusement in private parties and even worse when these incidents involve public figues like Lamine Yamal. The dignity and rights of our collective are not the entertainment of anyone, under any circumstance.”

Jesús Martín Blanco, director general of the rights of people with disabilities in Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, told Europa Press he has “asked the relevant authorities to open the necessary investigations to determine what happened” at the party.

Martín Blanco said that the hiring of people with dwarfism at private parties is something that “objectifies” the performers and takes “(us) back to past times, Medieval times.”

“We’re worried that a well-known person who can have such an influence over young people uses these people in such a harmful way for a private party,” Martín Blanco added.

Martín Blanco added that he has contacted the General Prosecutor’s Office and the National Office of the Fight Against Hate Crimes to investigate the matter.

CNN Sports has contacted both offices for comment.

In an event celebrating Yamal’s contract extension with Barcelona and his awarding of the club’s mythical No. 10 jersey – which club legends Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi wore during their time with the Blaugrana – the 18-year-old superstar didn’t directly address the controversy, but told the assorted press in attendance that he was “indifferent” to criticism.

“Honestly, both criticisms and praise, if they don’t come from my family or my friends or people very close to me, I’m indifferent,” Yamal said Wednesday. “The only thing that matters is enjoying myself (on the pitch). Now, I’m focused on football, so I’m going to show who I am and that’s it.

“I work for Barça, I play for Barça, but when I’m outside of the training ground, I enjoy my life and that’s it.”

CNN Sports has contacted Yamal’s representatives for further comment.

Spanish law currently bans any event which “uses people with disabilities … to arouse jokes, mockery or derision of (said people) contrary to the respect owed to human dignity.”

While there is currently no civil or criminal punishment for any infraction, a reform to the law was recently approved by the government and sent to the Spanish parliament for final passage that would reportedly allow for fines ranging from €600,000 (about $695,200) to €1 million ($1.16 million) for serious offenses.

However, two people with dwarfism who say they were hired for the party released a joint statement pushing back against critics of the events – and the ADEE specifically – for their stance.

In a post on Instagram, Juan Alberto Duaso and Miggie DJ said the ADEE “does not represent us nor does it speak on our behalf.”

“As adults with achondroplasia, commonly known as dwarfism, we have our own voice, our own judgment, and full capacity to make decisions about our personal and professional lives,” the statement said.

“We are not part of this association, nor have we been consulted or asked for our opinions before making public accusations that directly affect us.”

The pair added that they feel “deeply proud to have been invited to this event,” and, “we strongly reject any suggestion that we have been ridiculed or used, as has been publicly claimed without evidence.”

“It was a professional and human experience in which we were treated with respect,” also saying that they reserve the right to take legal action against any attempts to damage their reputation.

CNN Sports has contacted the ADEE for comment.