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Zena Chamas
Zena Chamas is a journalist with the ABC's Asia Pacific Newsroom. You can follow her on Twitter: @chamas_zena
Latest by Zena Chamas
When a suicide in his community was met with silence, Annas decided to speak up
By Zena Chamas
As we celebrate Father's Day across the country, the lesser-talked-about issue of men's mental health is slowly being confronted in the Muslim community.
Posted Updated Victoria's free kindergarten pledge may throw a spanner in the works for staff and educators
By Annie Kearney and Zena Chamas
Concerns are growing over the Victorian government’s free kinder pledge, with many kindergartens saying changes could force skilled staff out of the workforce.
Posted Police hunt for gunman after road shooting leaves man fighting for his life in hospital
By Zena Chamas
Police are on the trail of a gunman and accomplice who shot a man several times as he left a funeral at Fawkner cemetery in Melbourne's north, before crashing their vehicle into a fire hydrant and carjacking another to escape the scene.
Posted Updated The dark history of the guerrilla group of which Colombia's new president was once a member
By Zena Chamas
Colombia's new President, Gustavo Petro, was once a member of M-19 — a wild rebel group that stole the Sword of Simon Bolivar and is rumoured to have worked with and against Pablo Escobar.
Posted Updated Fifth Australian Monkeypox case confirmed in Victoria
By Zena Chamas
Victoria records its second case of Monkeypox in a returned overseas traveller who visited Europe.
Posted Updated Vaccine mandate leaving some employers 'between a rock and a hard place' as workers refuse jabs
By Zena Chamas, Yara Murray-Atfield and staff
The deadline for Victoria's essential workers to receive at least one COVID-19 vaccination arrives, but for some workers and employers, the mandate is already causing issues.
Posted Updated How Victorians have reacted to vaccine mandates set to affect around a million workers
By Rachel Clayton and Zena Chamas
Industry heads across Victoria react to recent news of a vaccine mandate for authorized workers, affecting around a million people.
Posted Updated Victoria faces fallout from grand final house party COVID cases
By Zena Chamas and Kristian Silva
Burnet modelling predicted COVID-19 cases in Victoria would reach between 1,400 to 2,900 by the end of October. Given the state has reached that number much earlier, what will happen now?
Posted Updated Victoria had more cases than NSW in past two days. What does it mean?
By Zena Chamas
Victoria has recorded more single daily cases than the same days in New South Wales. But what does that mean for Victoria? Leading epidemiologists weigh in.
Posted Updated Melbourne teens unmask themselves as COVID website creators
By Zena Chamas
Three teenagers reveal they're the creators behind a popular data collection website called CovidBase AU — much to the delight of their fans.
Posted Updated Chief Health Officer urges vaccine priority as Victoria records 603 new COVID-19 cases, one death
By Zena Chamas
There are firm warnings for Victorians to get vaccinated, with 6,000 currently active cases across the Victorian community and 241 people in hospital. Meanwhile, protesters working in the construction sector are back in Melbourne's CBD.
Posted Updated Gesti tested positive for COVID a day before giving birth. Three weeks later, the virus took her life
By Max Walden and Zena Chamas
The number of pregnant women who are dying with COVID-19 in Indonesia is anticipated to increase, as expectant mothers opt for voluntary c-sections or give birth at home out of fear they will catch the virus at the hospital.
Posted Updated 'Under her husband's thumb’: Australian Muslims speak out against stereotypes and discrimination
By Zena Chamas and Tracey Shelton
While almost two-thirds of the world's Muslims come from Asia, Islam is often misrepresented as "monolithic". As Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, we take a look at the vast array of cultures and beliefs within Australia's Muslim community.
Posted Updated 'People dropping like flies': Australians in Indonesia fear for their safety as Delta outbreak worsens
By Zena Chamas, Farid M Ibrahim and Max Walden
Australians stuck in Indonesia are worried about their safety, as Indonesians in Australia struggle to help loved ones from afar.
Posted Updated 'Disaster situation': Indonesian COVID patients turned away from hospitals die in isolation
By Hellena Souisa, Sastra Wijaya and Zena Chamas
As Indonesia's hospital system struggles with a surge of new COVID-19 cases, many are being turned away from hospitals and are being forced to isolate at home. Some have even died at home.
Posted Updated Aseel says Jerusalem is 'a city that has never seen peace'. She's anxious for her family back home
By Zena Chamas
Palestinian-Australians and members of the Jewish community reflect on recent tensions escalating in the Middle East — a place that some of them once called their home.
Posted Updated China used 'fake news' on social platforms to discredit Western reports amid pandemic, report finds
By Zena Chamas
As the pandemic started to spread, Beijing used its media infrastructure globally to seed positive narratives about China in national media, as well as mobilising more novel tactics such as disinformation, a report by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) finds.
Posted Updated Some international students are over the moon about work caps being lifted, but advocates say 'it's too little, too late'
By Zena Chamas
While the borders potentially being closed until 2022 may mean students cannot come or return to Australia to study, the government has made changes so that those already here can work more hours.
Posted Updated India isn't in a nationwide lockdown despite shocking COVID-19 infections. Here's why
By Zena Chamas
India is in a COVID-19 crisis, with infections second only to the United States. So why isn't the country in a nationwide lockdown? Here's what we know.
Posted Updated Makeshift hospitals in mosques, Sikh temples full of oxygen: India comes together amid COVID crisis
By Zena Chamas
From free oxygen tanks and food drives, to freeing up space for makeshift hospitals, many are helping the needy during India's overwhelming COVID crisis.
Posted Updated Australia is temporarily reducing the number of flights from India by 30 per cent. Here's what's changing
By Zena Chamas
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a temporary reduction to the number of incoming flights from India amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases in returning passengers. Here are the details.
Posted Updated Executions drop globally, but one country tripled state killings last year, Amnesty says
By Zena Chamas and Tasha Wibawa
The number of people executed by governments globally in 2020 was at its lowest level in a decade, yet forced confessions, unfair trials and illegal executions continue, Amnesty International says.
Posted Updated For some Australian Muslims going to the mosque during Ramadan, it doesn't feel as safe as it should be
By Zena Chamas
With the holy month of Ramadan starting this week, Australia’s Mosques will be filled with worshippers, but community leaders and research shows many Muslims feel less safe than ever.
Posted Updated 'No human being deserves to die like this': Victoria Salazar's death is sparking outrage in Mexico
By Zena Chamas, wires
Not long after Victoria Salazar was laid to rest, Mexico's streets were filled with angry protesters demanding justice. She died after a police officer was filmed pressing a knee to her neck.
Posted Updated What's the Suez Canal and why does it matter if it's blocked? Its history may surprise you
By Zena Chamas
Many people may have never heard of Egypt's Suez Canal until recently when a cargo ship got stuck, but if you're unclear on what it is and what's been going on — here's a breakdown.
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