A year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, Wuhan has become a city of forgetting
(Ng Han Guan / Associated Press)One year ago, these streets were a barren landscape of fear. (Ng Han Guan / Associated Press)So much on the surface suggests the city has healed: Two young women sat on the sidewalk, chattering about boyfriend problems. (Ng Han Guan / Associated Press)AdvertisementOne woman’s mother and husband died within days of each other. (Ng Han Guan / Associated Press)Another activist, an ex-lawyer named Zhang Zhan, 37, was detained in May after posting videos online about the Wuhan outbreak. (Ng Han Guan / Associated Press)Xu has been arrested with the charge of “subverting state power,” with a potential sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
latimes.comTeen who recorded Floyd death on phone to receive PEN award
NEW YORK – The teenager who recorded the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May will be honored in December by PEN America, the literary and human rights organization. The 17-year-old Frazier will share the Courage Award with Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was pushed out by the Trump administration. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, PEN had postponed its annual gala from May 19, six days before Floyd's death, to Dec. 8, and will host the event online. “Darnella Frazier took an enormous amount of flak in the wake of releasing the video,” Nossel told The Associated Press. We wanted to go back and recognize and elevate this singular act.”Others being honored by PEN in December include the author and musician Patti Smith and Chinese dissident Xu Zhiyong.
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine to be honored by PEN America
Ambassador to Ukraine who was forced out of her job last year by the Trump administration, is being honored by PEN America. The alleged attempt to make a foreign government investigate a political opponent led to Trump's impeachment in December on two counts by the Democratic-run House. “At a time when, for government officials, standing on principle can spell an end to a professional career, Ambassador Yovanovitch did not flinch or falter,” said Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, said in a statement. She will be among the guests Dec. 8 at PEN's annual gala, to be held online because of the coronavirus pandemic. Others receiving awards will include author and musician Patti Smith and Chinese dissident Xu Zhiyong.
Chinese dissident Xu Zhiyong to be honored by PEN America
NEW YORK Xu Zhiyong, a prominent Chinese activist and legal scholar detained by the government since earlier this year, is being honored by PEN America. Xu's award comes on the 31st anniversary of the so-called Tiananmen Square Massacre, when Chinese soldiers shot and killed pro-democracy demonstrators. The 47-year-old Xu has strongly criticized Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak. You didnt authorise the truth to be released, and the outbreak turned into a national disaster, Xu wrote in February, shortly before he was detained. PEN will highlight Xu's life and work at its annual gala, scheduled for December 8 in Manhattan after being postponed from May because of the coronavirus.