International

China jails Journalist for 04 years over Wuhan COVID-19 report

Published

3 years ago

December 28, 2020

Beijing, Dec 28: Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who was detained in May for her live stream reporting from Wuhan over COVID-19, has been sentenced to four years of imprisonment on Monday, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported.

She has been convicted of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ for her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak.

Dozens of her supporters and diplomats gathered outside Shanghai Pudong New District People’s Court on Monday morning before the trial began, according to HKFP.

The police, however, pushed journalists and observers away from the entrance.

The New York Times reported that the 37-year-old former lawyer is on a hunger strike since June. According to her lawyers, she has been forced fed via a nasal tube as concerns grow about her health.’She said she refuses to participate in the trial. She says it’s an insult,’ Ren Quanniu, one of the lawyers said after visiting Zhang in mid-December in Shanghai, where she is being held.

Ren, who visited separately later, pleaded with Zhang to eat. But she refused, Ren said.

‘She’s much paler than in her videos and photos — deathly pale,’ Ren said, adding that Zhang appeared to have aged several decades. ‘It’s really hard to believe that she’s the same person as you saw online.’

China’s court system is notoriously opaque, with sensitive cases often heard behind closed doors.

The trial comes just weeks before an international team of World Health Organization experts are expected to arrive in China to investigate the origins of COVID-19.

International

Erica Robin becomes first ever Miss Universe Pakistan

Published

6 days ago

September 17, 2023

Agencies

Erica Robin, a model from Karachi has been crowned “Miss Universe Pakistan 2023”, becoming the first-ever woman from the country to win the title.

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Four other models from different parts of the country participated in the beauty pageant, including Hira Inam from Lahore, Jessical Wilson from Rawalpindi, Pakistani-American Malika Alvi from Pennsylvania, and Sabrina Wasim. Jessica Wilson, a 28-year-old cyber security engineer was named first runner-up while Hira Inam (24), Malyka Alvi (19), and Sabrina Wasim (26) were the rest of the finalists.

Award-winning actress, mental health advocate, and former Miss International Kylie Verzosa from the Philippines was one of the distinguished panel of judges who picked the winner.

Robin will be the official representative of Pakistan at the Miss Universe pageant, scheduled to be held in El Salvador later this year. Pakistan will be sending five models to compete in the prestigious Miss Universe pageant. This landmark moment marks the first time Pakistan has ever been represented in the world’s most esteemed beauty competition.

International

Morocco earthquake: Death toll surpasses 2000

Published

2 weeks ago

September 10, 2023

Asian News Hub Webdesk

According to state TV, the number of fatalities following a strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Morocco on Friday night has surpassed 2,000. The death toll makes it the deadliest earthquake to strike the nation of North Africa in decades.

Also Read: Powerful earthquake in Morocco kills more than 800 people

Rescue teams are reportedly struggling to reach the most affected areas, with roads blocked by debris. One witness said “we are hoping for miracles from the rubble,” CNN reported.

The epicenter was in the High Atlas mountains, about 72 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech, a popular tourist city of about 840,000 people. The city’s historic walls, first laid out in the early 12th century, have been damaged.

The quake was the most powerful to shake the area surrounding Marrakech in more than 120 years, according to the US Geological Survey.

International

Powerful earthquake in Morocco kills more than 800 people

Published

2 weeks ago

September 9, 2023

Asian News Hub Webdesk

More than 800 people were killed and hundreds were injured in a massive earthquake that struck Morocco. It was the deadliest tremor to hit the country in more than 60 years, and it destroyed homes in isolated mountain towns while rescue workers searched through the debris for survivors, reuters reported.

As per reuters, a magnitude 7.2 quake struck in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains late on Friday night. The Interior Ministry said 820 people had been killed and another 672 injured.

Most of the fatalities are in mountainous areas outside Marrakech, the nearest city to the epicentre, its updated toll showed.