Latest news with #Meng
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
AOC, progressives ripped for ignoring 'Red Light' district as prostitution, filthy streets return
The red lights are back flashing along a notorious prostitution strip in New York City represented by progressive Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Grace Meng. Along the crammed, grimy sidewalks of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, sex workers are once again openly soliciting clients while vendors grill meats and hawk suspected stolen or counterfeit goods – despite police waging a months-long crackdown to stop the chaos. It's become a way of life – and a years-long blight – for residents in the migrant-dense neighborhood who say they have grown tired of calling on Ocasio-Cortez and Meng to act and liken conditions to a "Red Light district" or a third-world flea market. Others have nicknamed the strip the "Avenue of the Sweethearts," given its reputation for women purportedly turning tricks. Leaders In Aoc's 'Red Light' District Call On Kash Patel To Crush 'Worsening' Gang Crime And Prostitution "All the criminal activity has reverted to the way it was last year," Ramses Frias, a local activist and Republican City Council candidate, told Fox News Digital. "Our residents feel like prisoners in their own homes while criminals walk freely, preying on helpless victims." He said gangs like the 18th Street gang and Tren de Aragua are suspected of operating in the area since various spots are graffiti-tagged with their insignia. Read On The Fox News App Fox News Digital visited Roosevelt Avenue after Ocasio-Cortez's town hall last month and witnessed as many as 30 women on one block appearing to offer sex for money to Friday night revelers while parents and children walked by. The women were jostling men and enticing them for sex despite a visible police presence nearby. Most women operate on Meng's side of the strip; the majority of vendors are on Ocasio-Cortez's side, with their district border running through the center of the street. PHOTOS: Swipe to see more images Hours before the town hall, other sidewalks were jammed with vendors flogging counterfeit Apple headphones and watches and tools. Food vendors sizzled meats at vendor stalls and kept juices in massive, unlabeled canisters under the gritty subway underpass – devoid of any labels or apparent sanitation or health and safety standards. Fruit and ice-cream stalls also permeated the busy strip. Fox News Digital returned to the neighborhood on Friday and witnessed much of the same rampant prostitution and illegal vending. Additionally, several women were threading eyebrows along a sidewalk on a commercial street just off Roosevelt Avenue, while men were selling sneakers from cars and other food vendors were seen dumping wastewater down drains. Residents have warned for months that Operation Restore Roosevelt – a 90-day enhanced police crime crackdown on the area which started in October – needed to be made permanent and that the warming weather would likely see more scantily-clad women appear on the streets. NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry told Fox News Digital that the boots-on-the-ground operation, which consisted of more than 200 additional police officers, reduced crime by 29% in the area so far this year and significantly reduced criminal activity. "There has been a notable difference," Daughtry said. "Robberies are down 23%, felony assaults are down 33%, burglaries are down 47%, and grand larceny is down 30%." Daughtry said he wants the work to have "a real, lasting difference," while saying that a lot still needs to be done. He said 15 brothels were raided out of 30 court filings made by the police. Aoc's 'Red Light' District Overrun With Prostitutes As Locals Call Out Mia 'Squad' Member For instance, days after Ocasio-Cortez's town hall, authorities shut down a notorious brothel, dubbed the "bodega brothel" by locals, which was operating above a corner store near two schools in Ocasio-Cortez's district. Video from inside the cat house obtained by Fox News Digital shows squalid conditions, with five cramped, makeshift rooms sectioned off by wooden panels and shower curtains with just enough room to fit a bed in every one of them. On Tuesday, two brothels were raided by police on Meng's side of Roosevelt Avenue, the same block where Fox News Digital observed 30 alleged prostitutes. Frias said a large crowd gathered to watch the sweep, some heckling the alleged johns as they were cuffed and taken into custody while suspected prostitutes were led out with their heads covered in shower curtains to shield their identities. Frias said the crowd reaction proved the neighborhood is fully aware of the illicit activity and is fed up, but that three to four other brothels are operating on that same block. Frias added that residents are terrified to walk the streets and would rather stay home than step outside. "Our laws need to become stricter, and it's time to elect representatives who have the best interests of the community and its safety as a priority," said Frias, who's looking to oust City Council member Shekar Krishnan in District 25. He blasted Ocasio-Cortez in particular, saying she has never used her massive social media presence to address the dire situation. Daughtry, too, called on Ocasio-Cortez and Meng to do more. He and the mayor's office said the pair did not collaborate with them in the police crackdown. "Never seen her," Daughtry said about Ocasio-Cortez. "She's never reached out to us. We would really love her assistance to help us, but at the end of the day, we have to do what's right and restore some law and order back to Roosevelt. I would like AOC to partner with us... use her platform to help us get funding or connect women to services." Aoc's 'Red Light District' Plagued By Crime As Democrat Who Helped Her Rise To Power Says She 'Disappeared' Daughtry said issues like prostitution have permeated the area for decades, and he remembers it being a hot spot for prostitution in the '90s. He said the migrant crisis exacerbated the situation as many migrants were drawn to the area, given that it already has a large Latin American population. Mayor Eric Adams spearheaded Operation Restore Roosevelt in collaboration with the NYPD and City Council member Francisco Moya, a moderate Democrat who has often been at odds with his party's progressive wing. Daughtry said Moya was a "huge partner" who physically walked Roosevelt Avenue with him and participated in raids, as did Adams. Adams' office said the operation underscored the administration's commitment to "making sure these crime and quality-of-life issues continue to improve." Meng, meanwhile, told Fox News Digital she is working with local law enforcement and Moya on the matter and described the situation as "concerning." Ocasio-Cortez's office told Fox News Digital that she has engaged with local stakeholders in the area and helped fix lights in the neighborhood. The situation on Roosevelt Avenue was not raised by Ocasio-Cortez at her town hall, nor by constituents who spoke in a question-and-answer portion. Residents Andrew Sokolof Diaz and John Szewczuk told Fox News Digital outside the event that the Roosevelt Avenue problem is a long-standing issue and that local lawmakers must do more to address it. Resident Mark LaVergne pinned much of the blame on Ocasio-Cortez for not doing more and said he felt many of the women were likely trafficked into that murky underground world. "I feel very sad… There's a Dunkin' Donuts I frequent on Roosevelt and 82nd Street and I noticed that above that there is some sort of thing going on, and I see the look in the eyes of these sex workers," LaVergne said. "I really feel sorry for them. Some of them are here, probably under difficult situations. Maybe they were forced here, maybe they're forced to do this kind of work. You've got to take care of the people that'll get you elected. I mean, that just seems like the most just thing. That's justice. Taking care of the people who got you elected."Original article source: AOC, progressives ripped for ignoring 'Red Light' district as prostitution, filthy streets return
Borneo Post
3 days ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
SW China mountainous county brews global matcha success
Photo of a tea farm in Jiangkou County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. – Xinhua photo GUIYANG (June 7): In Jiangkou County, nestled in southwest China's mountainous Guizhou Province, a centuries-old tea tradition is fueling a modern global boom. In 2024, the county's matcha sales exceeded 1,200 tonnes with an output value surpassing 300 million yuan (about US$41.7 million), while its products have been exported to overseas markets including Japan, the United States and France. As a major matcha-producing country, China is poised to produce over 5,000 tonnes of matcha in 2025. Notably, Guizhou, leveraging its high-altitude tea farms, low latitude and misty climate, accounts for one quarter of China's national output and exports to more than 40 countries and regions. Jiangkou County, located at the foot of Guizhou's Unesco-listed Fanjing Mountain, was once a poverty-stricken region but is now a pioneer in the field of matcha production. This turnaround began in 2017, when cutting-edge matcha industrial technology was introduced to this area. Led by industry leaders in partnership with allied enterprises and local farmers, this initiative has established a province-wide matcha industrial network in Guizhou – spanning 22 counties and empowering nearly 100,000 tea growers via increased incomes. The county's tea fields currently cover 160,000 mu (about 10,667 hectares), with 20 per cent dedicated to matcha production. 'We control every step from farming to processing – to ensure premium quality,' said Meng Zude, chairman of Gui Tea Group, a leading tea company that manages the industrial cluster in Jiangkou. Meng explained that farmers focus on cultivation while allied partners process leaves. Gui Tea Group then refines leaves into premium matcha. From field to factory, free technical support ensures EU-standard compliance across the supply chain, Meng added. Jiangkou County has adapted Japanese matcha techniques to local conditions through both collaborations with experts and in-house research and development. Farmers now implement fertilisation protocols, eco-friendly pest control and precision pruning – critical steps that ensure high-quality tencha leaves. Four tonnes of matcha have already been exported to Japan in 2025, while another six tonnes are scheduled for shipment to this traditional matcha hub this year, according to Chen Xiaoming, deputy director of Gui Tea's foreign trade business. 'Domestic clients now approach us directly, while Japanese buyers seek raw material supplies,' Chen said, adding that inquiries have grown significantly. 'Matcha isn't just a drink,' said Chen. 'It's a lifestyle China now leads.' – Xinhua
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Huge blast rocks Chinese chemical plant, authorities launch rescue operation
A large explosion rocked a chemical plant in eastern China on Tuesday, spewing a towering plume of gray and orange smoke into the sky, damaging windows in nearby buildings and prompting local authorities to launch a rescue operation. The blast took place in the workshop of Shandong Youdao Chemical in Gaomi city, Shandong province minutes before noon local time, with rescue and medical efforts currently underway, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The CCTV report did not give a reason for the blast. There were no immediate reports of casualties in state media. Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed gray and orange smoke billowing upwards, engulfing buildings in an industrial park. Windows in some nearby low-rise buildings were damaged, the footage showed. The local fire and rescue services dispatched 55 vehicles and 232 personnel to the scene, while the Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a working group and rescue reinforcements, the ministry said in a statement. A staff member working at a hotel some 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) from the blast site said she heard the explosion around noon. 'The sound was quite loud with a bang. It only lasted for a moment,' she told CNN, adding that the hotel did not suffer any damage. Another worker at a factory about 6 kilometers from the blast site said she heard a boom and felt a shake and 'a strong gust of wind.' 'A strong gust of airflow scared me so much that I didn't dare leave my office,' said the worker, surnamed Meng. 'The doors and windows in (my) factory were damaged… The airflow rushed in through the window, and if I had been a bit closer, it might have thrown me against the wall.' Shandong Youdao Chemical is owned by Himile Group, which also owns listed Himile Mechanical, shares of which were down nearly 4% on Tuesday afternoon, according to Reuters. Founded in August 2019, Shandong Youdao Chemical occupies more than 46 hectares of land in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park and employs more than 300 people, according to the company's website. It develops, produces and sells pesticides, pharmaceuticals and chemical intermediates, the website says. In 2015 a series of blasts at a chemical warehouse in the northeastern city of Tianjin killed more than 100 people and sent toxic fumes into the air.
CNN
27-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Huge blast rocks Chinese chemical plant, authorities launch rescue operation
A large explosion rocked a chemical plant in eastern China on Tuesday, spewing a towering plume of gray and orange smoke into the sky, damaging windows in nearby buildings and prompting local authorities to launch a rescue operation. The blast took place in the workshop of Shandong Youdao Chemical in Gaomi city, Shandong province minutes before noon local time, with rescue and medical efforts currently underway, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The CCTV report did not give a reason for the blast. There were no immediate reports of casualties in state media. Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed gray and orange smoke billowing upwards, engulfing buildings in an industrial park. Windows in some nearby low-rise buildings were damaged, the footage showed. The local fire and rescue services dispatched 55 vehicles and 232 personnel to the scene, while the Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a working group and rescue reinforcements, the ministry said in a statement. A staff member working at a hotel some 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) from the blast site said she heard the explosion around noon. 'The sound was quite loud with a bang. It only lasted for a moment,' she told CNN, adding that the hotel did not suffer any damage. Another worker at a factory about 6 kilometers from the blast site said she heard a boom and felt a shake and 'a strong gust of wind.' 'A strong gust of airflow scared me so much that I didn't dare leave my office,' said the worker, surnamed Meng. 'The doors and windows in (my) factory were damaged… The airflow rushed in through the window, and if I had been a bit closer, it might have thrown me against the wall.' Shandong Youdao Chemical is owned by Himile Group, which also owns listed Himile Mechanical, shares of which were down nearly 4% on Tuesday afternoon, according to Reuters. Founded in August 2019, Shandong Youdao Chemical occupies more than 46 hectares of land in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park and employs more than 300 people, according to the company's website. It develops, produces and sells pesticides, pharmaceuticals and chemical intermediates, the website says. In 2015 a series of blasts at a chemical warehouse in the northeastern city of Tianjin killed more than 100 people and sent toxic fumes into the air.
The Star
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
‘It's unsafe': why Trump's ‘gold card' visa is failing to lure wealthy Chinese
When Candice Meng, a real estate developer from Guangzhou in southern China, heard about US President Donald Trump's proposal for a new 'gold card' offering permanent residency to the super-rich, she was initially intrigued. The requirement to invest at least US$5 million in the United States to qualify for the scheme seemed reasonable: the price tag is actually far higher for similar golden visa programmes in other countries, she pointed out. 'It's not expensive in terms of cost-effectiveness – it's at least 100 million yuan (US$13.9 million) for Singapore and over 60 million yuan for New Zealand,' Meng said. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. But Meng, who owns hundreds of millions of yuan worth of assets, eventually decided against applying for US residency. With the US-China trade war and relatively high urban crime levels, America just did not feel like a good place to be right now, she said. Meng is far from alone. Three months after he first floated the idea, Trump's gold card scheme appears to have fallen flat with China's wealthy, who were expected to be one of the biggest sources of demand for the controversial new visa. China has experienced a significant outflow of millionaires in recent years amid an economic slowdown, and wealthy Chinese make up roughly 70 per cent of global applicants for the US' existing EB-5 visa for foreign investors – the programme that the gold card would replace – according to US government data. But many in China have deep concerns about the new gold card and whether Trump can deliver on his promises. There is also widespread unease about the situation in America more generally – from crime to a perceived rise in hostility towards Chinese migrants during a period of simmering US-China tensions. When Trump announced the scheme in late February, he pledged that anyone paying the required US$5 million for a gold card would receive the same entitlements as a green card holder, including the rights to work and live permanently in the US, as well as 'a route to citizenship'. The idea is to attract more of the global super-rich to settle in the US by creating a faster and simpler alternative to the EB-5. That earlier programme, introduced in 1990, forces applicants to jump through several hoops to gain a green card, including investing US$1.05 million in US companies and creating 10 permanent full-time jobs. Earlier this month, Elon Musk, the billionaire tech CEO and senior adviser to the US president, said in a tweet that the gold card was undergoing 'a quiet trial' and would be rolled out to the public soon. On Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a gold card website would launch within a week. Yet, key details about the new policy remain unclear. Legal experts question whether Trump has the authority to launch such a programme through executive actions. Any creation of a new visa, or the cancellation or alteration of the EB-5 visa, would require going through Congress, they say. 'To establish the gold card programme within the Immigration and Nationality Act, Congress would have to pass, and the president sign into law, appropriate amendments,' wrote George Fishman, senior legal fellow at non-profit research organisation Center for Immigration Studies, in an article last month. These uncertainties weigh heavily with many wealthy Chinese. Jack Jing, general manager of the Beijing-based migration service provider WellTrend, said some of his clients had inquired about the gold card, but had become cautious after learning about the ambiguities surrounding the programme. 'There's rigid demand among some clients, such as those whose children are aiming for an Ivy League medical school,' he said, as most medical schools in the US only accept applications from US citizens and permanent residents. While many in China liked the sound of the gold card – especially Trump's promise of a short processing time – the scheme was unlikely to lure many of China's super-rich due to the risks associated with it, including the possibility that it would not be backed by proper legislation, Jing said. Meng, the developer from Guangzhou, had originally wanted to acquire a US green card because it offered enhanced wealth protection, business opportunities, and education resources for her children. But the current tensions between the US and China have dampened Meng's interest in migrating to the US. 'The trade war has increased the cost of sending children to study there, visas are harder to obtain than before, and the job prospects for staying in the US after graduation are not optimistic,' she said. She is also worried about public safety in the US, citing an increase in anti-Asian violence and racism during the pandemic and Trump's tough anti-immigration stance. 'My husband and I have watched a lot of news and we think public safety in the US is poor – with gun shootings everywhere and homeless people all over the streets,' Meng said. The biggest concerns over the US are global taxation and its unclear attitude towards Chinese people Another major issue putting off Chinese billionaires from moving to America is the US' policy of taxing citizens and permanent residents on their worldwide income, according to Cathy Qian, a lawyer at the Shanghai-headquartered law firm Hiways who runs the company's private wealth management centre. 'The biggest concerns over the US are global taxation and its unclear attitude towards Chinese people,' she said. In February, Trump promised that gold card holders 'won't have to pay any tax on income outside of the US', though it remains unclear how he plans to implement such a change to the tax code. Given these disadvantages, rich Chinese seeking to move abroad have increasingly been looking beyond the US in recent years, with Canada, Singapore and Japan among the most popular destinations. China still has the largest outflow of millionaires of any country in the world, according to a report by international migration advisory firm Henley & Partners published last year. An estimated 15,200 Chinese people with at least US$1 million of investible assets transferred their wealth and moved overseas last year, a record total, the report said. But the number of Chinese nationals securing EB-5 visas in the US actually declined slightly over the past decade, although China remains the dominant source of applicants for the programme. While more than 9,000 Chinese investors obtained the visa in 2014, the figure plummeted to a pandemic-era low of about 1,500 before rebounding to over 6,000 in 2023. Last year, 8,311 EB-5 visas were granted to Chinese applicants, accounting for 69 per cent of the global total, according to the US State Department. Qian, the wealth management expert, said many of her Chinese clients were interested in moving to Singapore, as they considered it safer and friendlier to Chinese nationals than the US. At the same time, successful businesspeople in eastern China are hesitant about seeking foreign residency during a period of heightened global economic uncertainty, according to Jin Xin, a researcher with the Bluesource Family Wealth Management Institute in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. People are more focused on how to transform their businesses to keep up with China's rapidly changing economy and pass on their wealth to the next generation, he said. There are about 110,000 mainland Chinese families with over 100 million yuan in total assets, among which 66,000 have at least 100 million yuan in investible assets, according to the Hurun Wealth Report 2024 published in February. And with many of China's first generation of entrepreneurs approaching retirement, the country is on the cusp of a huge wave of asset transfers. An estimated 20 trillion of yuan of wealth is expected to be handed down within the next 10 years, the report said. Instead of spending US$5 million to obtain a US gold card, a local business owner told the Post he would rather invest that sum in a range of projects at home to diversify his asset portfolio. The man, who declined to be named due to privacy concerns, runs a family business that manufactures goods for the overseas market, with one-third of the company's sales coming from the US until the tariff war erupted in early April. Now, the risk of a wider US-China decoupling has made him wary of moving to America or letting his children live there any time soon, he said. 'Few of my high-net-worth friends are considering migrating to America, though some of them already have their children born in the US as they planned years ago,' the man said. Though there is little interest in Trump's gold cards, North America has remained the top destination for Chinese migrants in recent years, with education the primary driver, said Jing from WellTrend. 'The US has the most advanced technology and its Ivy League schools offer high-quality education, while Canada has relatively loose policies for business immigrants and is located near the US,' he said. For some, a lack of confidence in Chinese policymaking is another factor influencing their decisions to apply for permanent residency in another country. 'Speaking for myself, I tend to have more trust in Western economic and financial systems – in the sense that at least my assets won't arbitrarily be taken away,' said Lynn Shao, a 27-year-old therapist based in New York. 'However, I don't think this is just about the US. I believe other Western countries also do a good job in this regard,' she added. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
