News in Brief-2024-06-04

Imran acquitted of leaking state secrets
ISLAMABAD, June 03: A Pakistan high court on Monday overturned a treason conviction against former prime minister Imran Khan, who remains in jail on other charges. The decision by a two member bench at Islamabad High Court was announced by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, an AFP court reporter witnessed, while Salman Safdar, a lawyer for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, confirmed the acquittal. — AFP
Quakes jolt north-central Japan
TOKYO, Jun 03: Earthquakes early Monday again struck Japan's north-central region of Ishikawa, still recovering from the destruction left by a powerful quake on Jan. 1, but the latest shaking caused no major damage. A magnitude 5.9 temblor on the northern top of the Noto Peninsula was followed minutes later by a 4.8 and then several smaller quakes within the next two hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. There was no tsunami. Five houses that had been damaged in the Jan. 1 quake collapsed in Wajiima city, but no major damage or life-threatening injuries were reported, according to Ishikawa prefecture. — AP
Chinese varsity develops guide robot for blinds
BEIJING, June 03: A research team from China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University has developed a six-legged guide robot for visually impaired people that is expected to address the country's shortage of real guide dogs. "We believe our robot will function as a 'pair of eyes' for visually impaired people," said Professor Gao Feng from the School of Mechanical Engineering in a press release on the university's website. — Xinhua