Latest news with #CHINESE
The Star
20 hours ago
- The Star
When eating durian in a hotel can be a ‘costly' affair
A CHINESE national holidaying in Singapore was slapped with a S$200 (RM659) fine for eating durian in a four-star hotel in Orchard Road, reported Kwong Wah Yit Poh. The tourist shared her experience on her RedNote social networking account on May 26 that she was unaware of hotel regulations in South-East Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia prohibiting guests from bringing durian into the premises. 'Some netizens shared online that they had been fined S$500 before. So, I think S$200 was still a reasonable amount and I requested the cleaner to get rid of the leftover durian in my room,' she said. The tourist said she arrived in Singapore on May 24 and the next day, she bought packets of durian and other fruits and took it back to the hotel as there was no place to eat them. The following day she received a note from the hotel informing that the housekeeper discovered durian smell in her room and that the hotel would impose a S$200 cleaning fee to get rid of the smell. > Taiwanese actress Joe Chen has hit back at those who criticised her over her lack of knowledge on appendicitis, China Press reported. Netizens had commented on Chen's experience of undergoing a surgery in Malaysia to remove her appendix that she posted on her social media accounts on May 27. The 46-year-old hit back on her Weibo account: '... I don't know my diagnosis has become one of the most searched topics.' The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Military drill footage misrepresented as China airdropping aid into Gaza
"CHINESE cargo plane, with full protection escort, bringing food aid to 60,000 families in Gaza - entering through Egypt," reads an X post published May 17, 2025. The post shares a video of a large military aircraft flanked by fighter jets as the squadron passes over the Giza pyramids. The video circulated online as Palestinians scrambled for basic supplies after Israel imposed a near-total blockade on March 2. Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18 after talks to prolong a ceasefire stalled. It briefly allowed nine trucks carrying basic aid into the besieged territory on May 19, but humanitarian groups have said the amount falls far short of what is required to ease the crisis (archived link). The video purporting to show Chinese cargo planes delivering aid to Gaza spread widely on Facebook, X, and TikTok in Burmese and Chinese. Although China delivered aid to Gaza through Egypt in March 2024, the footage shared online is unrelated (archived link). The clip actually shows a joint military exercise between China and Egypt that ran from April to May 2025. Reverse image and keyword searches on Google found a matching Instagram video published May 17 (archived link). The footage was uploaded by an account that posts various clips related to military drills and air shows. "For the first time ever, Chinese and Egyptian fighter jets took to the skies in a powerful display of military cooperation during the joint exercise Eagles of Civilization 2025. Held in Egypt from April 19 to May 4, this landmark drill featured China's cutting-edge J-10C jets, KJ-500 surveillance aircraft, and YU-20 refuelers in full force," the caption reads. Subsequent keyword searches on Google found a Facebook post published May 17 by an account linked to Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) that details the joint exercise (archived link). The post includes matching images of the squadron's flight over the Giza pyramids. SIS said on their website that the military exercise occurred in April and continued for several days (archived link). China's Ministry of National Defense also released a statement about the conclusion of the joint exercise on May 8, sharing a video of its aircraft flying over the pyramids (archived link).
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Chinese students despair as US cracks down on visas
CHINESE students with offers from US universities expressed despair after Washington promised to start "aggressively" revoking Chinese student visas and ordered US missions abroad to stop scheduling new student visa appointments. If applied to a broad segment of the 277,000 Chinese students already at US colleges, the move could disrupt a major source of income for universities and a crucial pipeline of talent for US technology companies as the Trump administration pursues its hardline immigration agenda. "It's pretty absurd. It doesn't seem like something that should happen these days. "I scrolled social media and felt quite anxious seeing other people's reactions," said Chen, 22, who has a postgraduate offer to study a humanities subject from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "Although my major is not sensitive, my visa application process hasn't started yet and my course begins in early August." Chen, who lives in the southwestern megacity of Chengdu, is prepared to defer her studies for a term if the visa doesn't come through in time. She preferred not to share her full name for privacy reasons. "If I really can't go to the US, I may take up an offer from the UK's London School of Economics," she said. Reuters reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked his department to pause the scheduling of student visa appointments until the department issues updated guidance on social media vetting of applicants. The news set off a wave of confusion and despair on China's Instagram-like platform RedNote, as incoming students scrambled to book the last remaining visa interview slots and others complained that they could no longer book. Wu said she stayed up until 3am. on Wednesday frantically refreshing the webpage until she managed to snag a precious mid-June interview slot at the US Consulate in Shanghai. "At nearly midnight I saw the news and immediately started booking, the page crashed several times," she told Reuters. The 29-year-old biology student, who preferred not to share her full name for privacy reasons, has an offer from the University of Minnesota Duluth and no back-up plan if her visa is rejected. The cable, signed by Rubio, said previously scheduled appointments may proceed but did not specify when the interview booking system would resume. Nor did Rubio specify when the visa revocations would begin. "The Department's scheduling of nonimmigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic," a State Department spokesperson said in response to Reuters' questions about the suspension of appointments. "Visa applicants may continue to submit applications. Consular sections constantly adjust their schedules to allow for sufficient time to fully vet the cases before them." The spokesperson added that the Trump administration was focused on "upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process." The announcement comes at a critical period in the international student application process, as many young people prepare to travel to the US in August to find accommodation and settle in before term starts. "I was super looking forward to starting my university life but then all this happened," said a Beijing high school senior with a media studies offer from Ohio State University, who declined to give her name for privacy reasons. "I still need 1-2 months to apply for my visa, term starts soon and I have no time left, it's really a disaster out of nowhere and really unfair to international students." In their posts on RedNote, a few Chinese social media users also reported additional scrutiny of their listed social media accounts from US consular officials during visa interviews this week. In Beijing, the foreign ministry condemned the measures against Chinese students and said it had lodged protests with the US. "The US side, using ideology and national security as an excuse, irrationally revoked Chinese international student visas," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on Thursday. "Its politically discriminatory practices pierce through the so-called freedom of speech it has always flaunted, this will only further damage its international image and reputation." China is also at the epicentre of Trump's global trade war that has roiled financial markets, upended supply chains and fuelled risks of a global economic downturn. The decision to cancel Chinese student visas is happening despite a recent pause in the US-China trade dispute. International students - 54 per cent of them from India and China - contributed more than US$50 billion to the US economy in 2023, according to the US Department of Commerce. "It is superpower suicide to stop the best foreign minds from coming to the United States and using their talents to propel American prosperity and technological advantage," Rush Doshi, a former Biden administration China official and assistant professor at Georgetown University, wrote on X on Wednesday. "The iron fist has come down," wrote an anonymous Chinese PhD student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on RedNote on Thursday. "The good days are over and a new round of hard times will begin for international students."
Barnama
4 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
Top News Headlines In Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam: May 28, 2025
Russia and Cambodia agreed to strengthen bilateral ties by focusing on a wide range of areas, mainly cybercrime, law enforcement and countering cross-border crimes. Both countries also strengthened their judicial collaboration by signing a memorandum of understanding. During a meeting with the Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov, Cambodia Senate President Hun Sen proposed Russia launch a direct flight between the two countries. The air connectivity will help to improve tourism and people-to-people relations and spur bilateral ties. ASEAN member states aim to negotiate with the United States as a single trade bloc while deepening ties with China, as Washington's unilateral levies imperil the growth of their trade dependent economies. 2. SWEDEN HELPS INDONESIA TREAT CANCER WITH US$940,360 GRANT-- JAKARTA GLOBE Sweden announced Tuesday a grant worth approximately 9 million Swedish krona (around US$940,360) to help Indonesia treat cancer by assisting a Jakarta-based hospital in setting up a radiotherapy center. MYANMAR 1. CHARTING PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIAL GROWTH -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR The second coordination meeting of the Industrial Development Commission was held yesterday to discuss the promotion of sustainable development of local industries. The meeting aimed to establish new industrial projects and public and private sector partnerships to produce quality industrial products. 2. CHINESE DEMAND FOR ARECA NUTS ON THE RISE -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR The rising demand for areca nuts from Chinese buyers is boosting sales for local producers in Myanmar. The processed nuts are used to make snacks in China and are also chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves. SINGAPORE 1. ASEAN FACES 'MOMENT OF TRUTH'; IT MUST STEP UP OR RISK LOSING RELEVANCE, SAYS PM WONG -- THE STRAITS TIMES ASEAN must step up and define a clear, purposeful role for itself in a changed world, or risk losing relevance, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on May 27. 2. US SUSPENDS STUDENT VISA PROCESSING AS TRUMP, RUBIO RAMP UP SOCIAL MEDIA VETTING -- CNA/AFP US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (May 27) ordered a suspension of student visa processing as President Donald Trump's administration ramps up vetting of their social media, according to an internal cable. THAILAND 1. THAILAND'S IMPORTS FROM CHINA HIT RECORD HIGH AMID TRADE UNCERTAINTY AND 90-DAY TARIFF TRUCE -- THE NATION Thailand's trade deficit with China has surged to a historic high, with imports soaring during the first four months of 2025 as businesses rush to secure raw materials amid global trade uncertainties, particularly ahead of potential U.S. tariff changes. 2. MINISTER CALLS FOR TOUGHER LAW ON NOMINEE FIRMS -- BANGKOK POST Deputy Commerce Minister Napintorn Srisanpang is pushing for a new law to further crack down on businesses that use Thai nominees, with such entities expected to be wiped out within six months. VIETNAM 1. SOUTHERN CAN THO CITY INVITES AMERICAN INVESTMENTS -- VIETNAMPLUS Can Tho City in southern Vietnam is welcoming American investors to invest in agricultural processing, the green economy and the digital economy. In the first quarter of this year, Can Tho exported steel, garments, farm produce, processed goods and handicraft to the United States. 2. MARITIME SECTOR GROWTH ON ROBUST MOOD -- VIETNAMPLUS Vietnam's maritime and inland waterway transport sectors are enjoying robust growth this year. Officials said total cargo via ports reached 370.5 million metric tonnes, up 11 per cent compared to the same period last year. -- BERNAMA BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies. Follow us on social media : Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio Twitter : @ @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial TikTok : @bernamaofficial
AFP
5 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Military drill footage misrepresented as China airdropping aid into Gaza
"CHINESE cargo plane, with full protection escort, bringing food aid to 60,000 families in Gaza - entering through Egypt," reads an X post published May 17, 2025. The post shares a video of a large military aircraft flanked by fighter jets as the squadron passes over the Giza pyramids. Image Screenshot taken May 23, 2025 of the false X post The video circulated online as Palestinians scrambled for basic supplies after Israel imposed a near-total blockade on March Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18 after talks to prolong a ceasefire stalled. It briefly allowed nine trucks carrying basic aid into the besieged territory on May 19, but humanitarian groups have said the amount falls far short of what is required to ease the (archived link). The video purporting to show Chinese cargo planes delivering aid to Gaza on Facebook, X, and TikTok in Burmese and Chinese. Although China delivered aid to Gaza through Egypt in March 2024, the footage shared online is unrelated (archived link). The clip actually shows a joint military exercise between China and Egypt that ran from April to May 2025. Reverse image and keyword searches on Google found matching Instagram video published May 17 (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false X post (L) and an Instagram post The footage was uploaded by an account that posts various clips related to military drills and air shows. "For the first time ever, Chinese and Egyptian fighter jets took to the skies in a powerful display of military cooperation during the joint exercise Eagles of Civilization 2025. Held in Egypt from April 19 to May 4, this landmark drill featured China's cutting-edge J-10C jets, KJ-500 surveillance aircraft, and YU-20 refuelers in full force," the caption reads. Subsequent keyword searches on Google found a Facebook post published May 17 by an account linked to Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) that details the joint exercise (archived link). The post includes matching images of the squadron's flight over the Giza pyramids. Image Screenshot comparison of the video in the false post (L) and the photo shared by Egypt State Information Service, with similarities highlighted by AFP SIS said on their website that the military exercise occurred in April and continued for several days (archived link). China's Ministry of National Defense also released a statement about the conclusion of the joint exercise on May 8, sharing a video of its aircraft flying over the pyramids (archived link).
