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American man held in Zanzibar after partner’s death following a dispute

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania (AP) — Police in Zanzibar are holding an American citizen whose partner died in mysterious circumstances following a dispute at the hotel where they were staying.

Joseph Isaac McCann, 45, was questioned by police on Monday, four days after his partner, Ashly Robinson, better known online as Ashlee Jenae, was found dead in her room.

The Deputy Director of Investigations in Zanzibar, Zuberi Chembera, refused to comment on Thursday, saying that investigations were ongoing.

Police said witness accounts indicate that the couple arrived at Zuri Hotel in Zanzibar on April 4 and had been quarreling frequently until the night of April 8, when hotel management separated them and asked McCann to move to a separate villa about a 10-minute walk away.

A few hours later, a hotel worker found Robinson unresponsive in a closet, with a belt around her neck, police said. She was taken to a hospital, where she died the following day.

Her family told CBS News that McCann called them and said something had happened, but the hotel management later called to inform them that their daughter had died. The parents said they are seeking transparency.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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