Connect with us

World

Imran Khan gets 10-yr. jail sentence

Published

on

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in jail in a case in which he was accused of leaking state secrets.
Khan, who was ousted by his opponents as PM in 2022, is already serving a three-year jail term after being convicted of corruption.

He has called all the charges against him politically motivated.

The conviction under the secrets act comes the week before general elections in which he is barred from standing.

Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi – vice-chairman of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party – was also sentenced to 10 years in prison by the special court set up inside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where both men are being held.

The so-called cipher case revolves around the alleged leaking of secret diplomatic correspondence sent by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to Islamabad when Khan was prime minister.

It relates to his appearance at a rally in March 2022, a month before the former cricketer was ousted from power in a vote of no confidence. Imran Khan appeared on stage, waving a piece of paper that he says showed a foreign conspiracy against him.

He said it detailed that “all will be forgiven if Imran Khan is removed from power”. He didn’t name the country – but was subsequently highly critical of the United States.

The prosecution said that the former PM’s actions amounted to leaking a classified document and damaging diplomatic relations. The latter charge can lead to life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

(BBC News)

News

7th CIIE opening ceremony kicks off in Shanghai

Published

on

By

Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum in Shanghai on Tuesday (Nov. 05). 

The CIIE is the world’s first national-level exposition dedicated to imports. This year’s expo is scheduled to run from November 5 to 10. 

“Today, the seventh CIIE is opening as scheduled. Friends both old and new, from home and abroad, have come as promised. On behalf of the Chinese government, I wish to express cordial greetings and warm welcome to you all,” said Li. 

China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao moderated the opening ceremony. 

The 7th CIIE has attracted 3,496 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions. It also sets a new record with 297 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders attending the event. 

More than 400 new products, new technologies and new services are set to be unveiled during the expo, which experts believe is a strong indication of global companies’ confidence in the Chinese market, and their commitment to further development in China despite a sluggish global economic recovery.

Continue Reading

World

Shenzhou-18 crew return to Earth after 6-month mission in space

Published

on

By

The three astronauts of China’s Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceflight mission returned to Earth safely on Monday after completing their mission aboard the country’s Tiangong space station. 

The return capsule, carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, touched down at the Dongfeng Landing Site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 01:24 (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). 

Shenzhou-18 commander Ye Guangfu, who now holds the longest duration of stay in orbit among Chinese astronauts, was the first of the three crew members to emerge from the return capsule. 

“I am proud of my motherland. I am grateful to the great motherland, the people of China, and the entire project team for making our dream of spaceflight a reality and ensuring our safe return. Our Shenzhou spacecraft family has continued the relay of space exploration, and I believe that the new record of time spent in orbit by Chinese astronauts will soon be set,” he said. 

“During this trip to realize our space dream, our crew members united as one, and collaborated effectively with the ground teams. The two extravehicular activities were completed smoothly, as were the in-orbit scientific research experiments,” said Li Cong, the second astronaut to come out of the return capsule. 

All three astronauts were out of the capsule by 02:15 (Beijing Time). 

“Space is vast, magical and beautiful. We all enjoy the pleasure brought by weightlessness. Returning to Earth from space is a mixture of the excitement and joy of being back home, as well as a sense of attachment to space. The greatest feeling at this moment is that I am so proud of our great motherland,” said Li Guangsu, the third astronaut. 

The astronauts are all in good physical condition, and the mission is a complete success, according to the CMSA. 

The Shenzhou-18 crew was sent into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25. Prior to the return, the crew completed all planned tasks and handed over the space station to the Shenzhou-19 astronauts who got on board on Oct 30.

Continue Reading

News

Spain’s king and queen pelted with mud in flood-hit Valencia

Published

on

By


The King and Queen of Spain have been pelted with mud and other objects by angry protesters during a visit to flood-hit Valencia.

Shouts of “murderer” and “shame” were directed at the royal couple, Spain’s prime minister and other leaders as they walked through the town of Paiporta – one of the worst-affected in the region.

With mud on their faces and clothes, King Felipe and Queen Letizia were later seen consoling members of the crowd.

More than 200 people were killed in the floods, the worst in Spain for decades. Emergency workers are continuing to comb through underground car parks and tunnels in the hope of finding survivors and recovering bodies.

There has been anger at a perceived lack of warning and insufficient support from authorities after the floods.

Footage showed the king making his way down a pedestrian street, before his bodyguards and police were suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of protesters, hurling insults and screaming.

They struggled to maintain a protective ring around the monarch, as some of the protesters threw mud and objects.

The king engaged with several, even embracing them.

Images showed mud on the faces and clothes of the king, queen and their entourage, who held umbrellas over the monarch as they departed.

Queen Letizia in tears on visit to flood-hit Valencia

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the head of Valencian regional government, Carlos Mazón, joined the royal couple on the visit, but were swiftly evacuated as the crowd grew increasingly hostile.

Spanish media reports that objects were hurled at Sánchez, while footage verified by the BBC appears to show stones being thrown at his car as he was driven away.

After he left, the crowd chanted: “Where is Sánchez?”

“I’m just 16,” one boy, Pau, told the BBC through tears. “We’re helping – and the leaders do nothing. People are still dying. I can’t stand this anymore.”

Another woman said: “They left us to die. We’ve lost everything: our businesses, our homes, our dreams.”

The civil guard and mounted officers were later seen attempting to disperse the angry crowd.

The royal entourage had intended to travel on to Chiva, another town in the Valencia province badly impacted by the flooding, but that visit has since been postponed.

The king later said he understood the “anger and frustration” of the protestors in a video posted on the royal household’s Instagram account.

The mayor of Paiporta, Maribel Albalat, told the BBC she was shocked by the violence, but that she understood “the frustration and desperation of the people”.

Juan Bordera, a member of the Valencian parliament, called the king’s visit “a very bad decision”.

Authorities “didn’t listen to any warnings,” Mr Bordera told the BBC.

“It’s logical that the people are angry, it’s logical that the people didn’t understand why this visit is so urgent,” he added.

On Saturday, Sánchez ordered 10,000 more troops, police officers and civil guards to the area.

He said the deployment was Spain’s largest in peacetime. But he added that he was aware the response was “not enough” and acknowledged “severe problems and shortages”.

The flooding began on Tuesday, following a period of intense rainfall. Floodwaters quickly caused bridges to collapse and enveloped towns in thick mud.

Many communities were cut off, left without access to water, food, electricity and other basic services.

On Sunday, the death toll from the flooding rose to 217, with many more feared missing.

Almost all of the deaths confirmed so far have been in the Valencia region on the Mediterranean coast.

Some areas have been particularly devastated. Authorities in Paiporta, the town visited today by the royal delegation, have reported at least 62 deaths.

Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET issued its highest level of alert on Sunday for parts of southern Valencia – including the cities of Alzira, Cullera and Gandia.

Intense storms forecast to pass the area will not be on the scale of Tuesday’s, the agency said, with 90mm (3.45 inches) of rainfall expected.

(BBC News)

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Sri Lanka Mirror. All Rights Reserved