Latest news with #Chinese-American
Saudi Gazette
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Saudi Gazette
Sonder announces retirement from VALORANT after Red Bull Instalock
The ES TIMES — Veteran Game Changers player Diana 'sonder' Zhang has officially announced her retirement from VALORANT competition, with Red Bull Instalock 2025 being her final appearance on the stage. The Chinese-American player, who currently represents FlyQuest RED, shared the news on social media, stating that she will be stepping away from professional esports to pursue new goals in her life. 'I am grateful for all the amazing people I have met along the way,' Sonder wrote. 'Thank you all for the support, love, and encouragement through every moment, whether it's the ups or the downs. I hope I've made it clear that no matter what, always have fun.' 'I'm not sad that it's over, I'm happy that it happened. I love you all.' Despite her departure from the competitive scene, Sonder confirmed that she will continue to stream regularly on her Twitch channel, maintaining a presence within the community that has supported her throughout her career. Sonder's journey in VALORANT began in 2021 with Moon Raccoons Black, quickly rising to the top, joining Shopify Rebellion GC, where she spent over two years. Her successful tenure with the team saw her reach the final of the 2022 Game Changers Championship, cementing her position as one of the best duelists in the industry. In early 2024, Sonder joined FlyQuest RED, remaining with them for over a year before announcing her decision to retire. The team issued a heartfelt farewell message to her: "Thank you, Sonder, for your time with us at RED and Game Changers. Your impact on the team and the scene as a whole has been incredible. You willbegreatlymissed." Sonder's final appearance was on May 2–3 at the Red Bull Instalock event, which took place at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London. Fans can follow the event live on the official Red Bull Gaming Twitch and YouTube channels. Sonder's retirement comes at a time of significant change in the scene, with another Game Changers star, Ava "florescent" Eugene, also announcing she will be taking a break from competition in 2025 after moving to Team Apeks in the EMEA region.
The Star
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Asian American heritage celebrated on streets of NYC
New York, June 2 (Xinhua) -- A parade was held in Manhattan, New York City (NYC), to celebrate the traditional culture of Asian Americans on Sunday, drawing hundreds of participants and spectators. The celebration was hosted by the Chinese-American organization Better Chinatown Society, as part of national celebrations of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, which is observed in May in the United States. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Chinese Consul General in New York Chen Li, and representatives from the Better Chinatown Society addressed the crowd, emphasizing the importance of cultural exchange and community empowerment for Asian and Chinese Americans. The celebration plays a positive role in uniting community members in the United States to defend their rights, spread culture and strengthen the friendship between the United States and China, and other global countries, according to Chen. "We should uphold the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, respect different systems, develop international people exchanges and cooperation and work together to build a community with a shared future," Chen noted. The national anthems of China and the United States were played during the event, stirring patriotic feelings among the audience from diverse backgrounds. The performers showcased lion dances, Sichuan opera face-changing and Cantonese singing, drawing rounds of applause. The event attracted thousands of citizens to line the streets and watch. Norma Anderson, a visitor from Sacramento, California, said she was particularly impressed by the lion dance and the variety of traditional Chinese costumes. "Every era and region in China and Asia has different clothing, which is so beautiful and amazing," said Anderson. Jimmy Li, a Chinese American who lives in Flushing, NYC, said the celebration reminded him of his hometown. "I'm an immigrant from Guangdong, and hearing Cantonese songs in New York moved me to tears," Li said. "This is cultural transmission." This is the fourth Asian Heritage parade held in New York. May was officially designated AAPI Heritage Month in 1992 in the United States. The month-long observance provides an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the AAPI community's contributions to American culture, society and history over the centuries.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Brit dad 'caught spying for China' as he 'called Xi Jinping the boss in calls'
John Miller, 63, is accused of conspiring with US-based Chinese national Cui Guanghai, 43 after he was arrested in a sting involving undercover FBI agents A British businessman has been arrested in an alleged Chinese spy plot, and is accused of trying to smuggle sensitive US military technology to Beijing. John Miller, 63, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, was arrested on April 24 while on a business trip to Belgrade, Serbia, as part of a sting involving undercover FBI agents. Miller is accused of conspiring with US-based Chinese national, Cui Guanghai, 43. If convicted, both men could face up to 40 years in prison. A number of intercepted phone calls showed Miller referred to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as 'The Boss', court documents reportedly allege. The FBI said this demonstrated his 'awareness that he was acting at the direction and control of the [Chinese] government'. Documents filed at the Eastern District Court of Wisconsin in Milwaukee reportedly allege Miller tried to buy military hardware in the US for the People's Liberation Army, including missile launchers, air defence radars and Black Hornet 'microdrone'. Other equipment he allegedly attempted to obtain included a hand-held device for the secure communication of 'classified and sensitive national security information'. The pair are also accused of mounting a surveillance and harassment operation against a Chinese-American artist to stop him from protesting during a visit by Xi to San Francisco in November 2023. US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said: "The defendants targeted a US resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime. "This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values. The Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on US soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defence systems." Miller and Cui also allegedly hired two people to buy an 'embarrassing' sculpture the artist made to prevent the artist from displaying the work during a protest. But unbeknown to Miller the two people he hired were actually FBI investigators. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said: "The defendants allegedly plotted to harass and interfere with an individual who criticised the actions of the People's Republic of China while exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights within the United States of America. The same individuals are also charged with trying to obtain and export sensitive US military technology to China. "I want to commend the good work of the FBI and our partners in the US and overseas in putting a stop to these illegal activities." Court papers claim Miller returned from a trip to China in June 2023 boasting to undercover agents that he had met senior government officials and that the visit 'couldn't have gone better". The two men remain in Serbia and the US is co-ordinating with Serbian officials regarding their pending extraditions. Last night, the Foreign Office said: "We are providing consular assistance to a British national following his arrest in Serbia in April and are in touch with the local authorities and his family."
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
US govt to revoke Chinese students' visas: Why now, the likely impact
The Donald Trump administration announced Wednesday (May 28) that it will work 'to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.' US Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not clarify how the administration will determine the connection to China's ruling party, which has around 100 million members, or what fields of study would be targeted. He said, 'We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong.' Global Times, the CCP mouthpiece, cited a spokesperson as saying, 'US' unjust revocation of Chinese students' visas under the pretext of ideology and national security has seriously undermined their legitimate rights and interests and disrupted normal people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. China firmly opposes this.' The move comes amid increasing restrictions on the entry of international students in the US, over pro-Palestine campus activism. Just last week, a court stayed a government order that ceased Harvard University's ability to enrol foreign students. The US Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, said in a letter, 'This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.' The campaign against Chinese students, however, goes back to the first Trump administration. During Trump's first term (2017-2021), his administration targeted Chinese students for threats to national security and to safeguard US technology and intellectual property. Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation in May 2020, saying, 'The PRC's (People's Republic of China) acquisition of sensitive United States technologies and intellectual property to modernize its military is a threat to our Nation…' It added that the PRC authorities 'use some Chinese students, mostly post‑graduate students and post-doctorate researchers, to operate as non-traditional collectors of intellectual property'. Those associated with the People's Liberation Army (the army of the CCP and China) were at 'high risk of being exploited or co-opted by the PRC authorities and provide particular cause for concern.' Later that year, the visas of over 1,000 Chinese nationals who purportedly met the criteria were revoked. The Joe Biden administration also denied visas under the proclamation. The Trump administration further trained its lens on the Chinese government-supported Confucius Institutes, which promote Chinese culture and language. Its Washington, DC centre was designated a 'foreign mission', allowing the US government greater access to its operations and funding. Most of these centres have shut down since then. In 2018, the Justice Department launched the 'China Initiative' to investigate Chinese economic espionage. Among other things, it targeted Chinese and Chinese-American researchers for allegedly concealing ties to the Chinese government and military. Despite the threat of espionage, such programs have been questioned over their efficacy and procedures. The MIT Technology Review found in 2021 that only about a quarter of people and institutions charged under the China Initiative have been convicted. 'Many cases have little or no obvious connection to national security or the theft of trade secrets,' it said. The program ended in 2022 over criticism that it promoted discrimination against Asian-Americans. Historically, Chinese students have sought overseas education as admission to domestic institutes can be highly competitive, and given the prestige that US educational institutions hold. Between 2010 and 2019, China was the biggest source of international students globally, in terms of total numbers. However, the numbers dipped in 2020 due to the pandemic-induced border closures. Even after the borders reopened, their outflow remained comparatively lower. The Economist Intelligence Unit attributed the slump to growing geopolitical tensions between China and the West, and enhanced domestic opportunities. However, many Chinese students still pursue education abroad, though data points to a shifting preference from the US to the UK. Data from the Open Doors project of the US State Department shows an over 25 per cent decline in the number of Chinese students studying in the US in the last five years. In 2023-24, as many as 2,77,398 Chinese nationals were studying in the US, down from 3,72,532 in 2019-20. Still, students from China form nearly a quarter of all international students in the US, behind only India at 29 per cent. In 2023, Chinese students contributed $14.29 billion to the US economy, including their tuition fees, accommodation and expenditure. What could the impact be? Experts have argued that membership in the CCP cannot be the sole grounds for suspicion. For Chinese citizens, joining the most powerful organisation in the country, one that controls most private and public activity, opens up job and business opportunities. It is also a means of upward social mobility, and doesn't necessarily indicate total ideological alignment. Notably, the latest announcement comes weeks after the US and China climbed down from the steep tariffs they had imposed on each other, following Trump's 'Liberation Day' announcement. The US' tariffs on China have now decreased from a staggering 145 per cent to 30 per cent, and China reduced the duties on American goods from 125 per cent to 10 per cent. This marked a major de-escalation and was seen as a positive sign for relations between the world's two largest economies. Revoking visas could harm the temporary truce, affecting future US-China trade talks. Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take. ... Read More
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
University of Delaware sends off class of 2025
The University of Delaware class of 2025 is off into the real world. The university community of administrators, faculty, staff, graduating students and their loved ones poured into Delaware Stadium in Newark on a crisp morning May 24 to celebrate this year's graduating class. Almost 6,500 graduates make up the class. Of the total number, more than 4,800 are undergrads, and more than 1,600 are graduate students. About 42% of the class are Delawareans. UD President Dennis Assanis gave this class a unique distinction in his speech. "Congratulations to the amazing class of 2025," he said to the crowd. "The best class to ever graduate from the University of Delaware." It's his last commencement ceremony as the president of the university. He has served as president since 2016 and oversaw the expansion of the Science, Technology and Advanced Research Campus; introduced new research opportunities; and oversaw the elevation of the school's athletic program into Conference USA. "Over the years, we've been so impressed and so inspired by the drive, the dedication to the amazing talents of UD students," he told students. "Thank you for the transformative and memorable time that we spent together." ASSANIS LEAVING UD: University of Delaware president plans to step down after this semester He thanked the university community and ended his remarks by taking a selfie from the stage with the students in the background. He was awarded an honorary doctorate at the ceremony. Other people who received honorary distinctions were Wilmington Mayor John Carney, former MBNA executive John Cochran III, biologist and former UD Provost Robin Morgan, professor emerita of theatre and dance Lynette Young Overby, and ABC Action News anchor and guest speaker Matt O'Donnell. UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE NEWS: Newark is a Gov. Matt Meyer signature away from being able to levy a per-student tax on UD O'Donnell was tasked with this year's guest speaking gig, following Joe Flacco in 2024, former astronaut Mae Jemison in 2023 and then-leader of the free world Joe Biden. O'Donnell's speech related to students at his alma mater, UD, and challenged them to continue being authentic. "You are doing these things because you are trying to experience what we took from you as parents when we gave you smartphones way too early and stopped allowing you to go out on your own; you are seeking authenticity," he said in his speech. "You might be the anxious generation, but personally, I define you as something different. You are the disruption generation." GRADUATION PHOTOS: See Delaware State University's 2025 commencement ceremony One graduate, Devin Jiang from Brandywine Hundred, is looking toward the nation's capital. At UD, he said he learned about politics and its inner workings and has worked in the White House and state Legislature during his Blue Hen tenure. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2024, the second Chinese-American to represent Delaware. He is now a staff assistant for Delaware's senior senator, Chris Coons. "I just want to learn as much as I can about the federal government and represent Delaware on the national stage," he said in an interview. Shane Brennan covers Wilmington and other Delaware issues. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at slbrennan@ This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: UD President Assanis thanks school community at his final graduation
