Latest news with #MissIndonesia2025
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Trump's animated ‘Lo-fi' stream at McDonald's goes viral as users react to White House's latest ‘Big Beautiful' stunt
The White House posted an animated Lo-fi video of Donald Trump working at McDonald's, a stunt in which the then-GOP candidate engaged in to embarrass Kamala Harris by wavering a flag in front of the White House and then from a drive-thru. Trump's animated Lo-Fi video featuring him at McDonald's has sparked laughter online The 18-hour live stream on White House's YouTube featured a list of his Big, Beautiful Bill's points along with soothing music. The stream was titled as 'One Big Beautiful Lo-Fi MAGA Video to Relax / Study to.' Trump and his staff, as per Daily Beast, released a Lo-fi film last month, showing an animated Trump enjoying soothing music while signing a document at his desk. At his Resolute desk, Trump was also holding a list of 'promises made, promises kept' to the US citizens. Also Read: Who is Merince Kogoya? Miss Indonesia 2025 contestant kicked out amid outcry over pro-Israel video Netizens react to White House's animated Trump video Calling the White House video hilarious, one X user wrote: 'Bro this might be the funniest thing a government has ever done.' 'LMAO the official White House YouTube is seriously live streaming a 'Lo-Fi MAGA Video to Relax/Study to.' It's just anime Trump beside an ongoing list of his accomplishments,' a second person commented, asking, 'WHO IS THIS INTERN??' While the third user highlighted Trump's White House 'obsession with Lo-Fi for some reason,' another chimed in: 'Is nobody going to mention that the White House official X page has a lo-fi Ghibli Trump at MccyD's serving fries to a credit roll of BBB's highlights.' Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill Trump is not the first individual to post a low-fidelity video of themself on X. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson started an identical stream of "lo-fi Boriswave beats to relax/get Brexit done to" in 2019 following his victory in the parliamentary elections. The video comes at a time when the Senate is preparing to vote on Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill. The video comes at a time when the Senate is preparing to vote on Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill. However, it has encountered a slight obstacle because the present version of the measure has not been well received by several Republicans.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Who is Merince Kogoya? Miss Indonesia 2025 contestant kicked out amid outcry over pro-Israel video
Miss Indonesia 2025 contestant Merince Kogoya's two year-old video about endorsing Israel reappeared on social media, leading to her disqualification. Miss Indonesia contestant Merince Kogoya was disqualified after a two-year-old video endorsing Israel resurfaced, sparking outrage in the pro-Palestinian country. Highland Papua representative Kogoya was removed from the pageant during the quarantine period after her old video went viral on social media. Kogoya can be seen dancing while waving an Israeli flag in the video, which was purportedly taken while she was studying overseas. 'Diligent for Sion, loyal to Jerusalem, standing for Israel,' the translated caption of the video read. Kogoya immediately faced intense backlash because Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, has no diplomatic ties with Israel and is an ardent supporter of Palestine. The President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, stated in May that his country would be open to establishing diplomatic relations with the Jewish state 'once Israel recognizes Palestine.' Pro-Palestinian sentiments are quite prominent in Indonesia, where thousands of people participate in large-scale demonstrations against Israel, raising Palestinian flags in support. Also Read: Ivanka Trump's hubby Jared Kushner's eight-word demand at Bezos lavish Venice wedding revealed: 'She'd like to…' Miss Indonesia 2025 yet to issue any statement The pageant's organizers discreetly eliminated Kogoya from the contest due to to the outcry over her video, replacing her with Karmen Anastasya, her province's first runner-up, as per The Jakarta Globe. However, the Miss Indonesia organization has not provided any statement on Kogoya's disqualification. Netizens respond Expressing rage and disappointment over her video, one X user wrote: 'By considering the genocide committed by Israel as merely a religious conflict, she has already shown she doesn't meet the bare minimum for Miss Indonesia, who must have broad knowledge. No morals or empathy, even though in this day and age there's plenty of information, yet she chooses to think that way,' as per an online translation. 'What kind of competition is this? A competition to be supporters of the TERRORIST Hamas? So dumb, ' another wrote showing support for Kogoya. Merince Kogoya reacts to criticism According to reports, Kogoya responded to the outrage by claiming in an Instagram Story on Monday that the video was not political but rather reflected her Christian beliefs. She wrote, 'I was simply practicing my faith as a follower of Christ by praying and offering blessings, but an old video from my reels went viral with many false interpretations about my beliefs.' Meanwhile, social media commenters pointed out, her Instagram bio still featured the phrase "I stand with Israel" at the moment. In October 2023, Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing over 1,100 people and taking 251 hostage, sparking the beginning of the war on Gaza. Over 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli war so far, the local health ministry reported.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Pageant contestant in Muslim majority nation ousted over pro-Israel video
Miss Indonesia 2025 contestant Merince Kogoya was disqualified after a two-year-old video showing her expressing support for Israel resurfaced. The video, reportedly from her time studying abroad, showed Kogoya holding and waving an Israeli flag while dancing, with a pro-Israel caption. Kogoya faced significant backlash in Indonesia, a majority Muslim nation with strong pro-Palestinian sentiment and no diplomatic relations with Israel. The pageant organisers quietly removed Kogoya from the competition and replaced her with contestant Karmen Anastasya, without issuing an official statement. Kogoya responded to the backlash by stating the video was not political but represented her Christian faith, though her Instagram bio reportedly still displayed 'I stand with Israel'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Miss Indonesia disqualifies contestant over pro-Israel video
A Miss Indonesia 2025 contestant was disqualified after a two-year-old video showing her expressing support for Israel resurfaced on social media. Merince Kogoya, representing Highland Papua, was removed from the pageant during the quarantine phase after the video went viral on social media over the weekend. The video, reportedly recorded during Kogoya's time studying abroad, shows her holding and waving an Israeli flag while dancing. The caption, translated online, reads: 'Diligent for Sion, loyal to Jerusalem, standing for Israel.' Kogoya faced immediate backlash after the video went viral in Indonesia as the world's most populous Muslim nation is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has no diplomatic relations with Israel. In May this year, Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto said that his nation would be willing to establish diplomatic ties with the Jewish state 'once Israel recognises Palestine'. Public sentiment in Indonesia is strongly pro‑Palestinian and thousands of people join mass rallies and display Palestinian flags in solidarity. The outrage over Kogoya's video led the pageant's organisers to quietly remove her from the competition and replace her with Karmen Anastasya, the first runner-up from her province, according to The Jakarta Globe. The Miss Indonesia Organisation didn't issue a statement about Kogoya's disqualification. 'By considering the genocide committed by Israel as merely a religious conflict, she has already shown she doesn't meet the bare minimum for Miss Indonesia, who must have broad knowledge. No morals or empathy, even though in this day and age there's plenty of information, yet she chooses to think that way,' an X commentator said, according to an online translation. Responding to the backlash, Kogoya reportedly posted an Instagram Story on Monday insisting the video wasn't political but represented her Christian faith. 'I was simply practicing my faith as a follower of Christ by praying and offering blessings, but an old video from my reels went viral with many false interpretations about my beliefs,' she wrote. At the time, however, her Instagram bio still displayed the phrase 'I stand with Israel' as social media commentators noted. At least 74 people were killed in Gaza on Monday as Israeli forces continued to bombard the besieged Palestinian territory 20 months into the war. Additionally, local health authorities said at least 66 children had died from malnutrition caused by the Israeli war and blockade. The war on Gaza began after over 1,100 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023. The Israeli war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians thus far, according to the local health ministry, displaced almost the entire population of 2.2 million and plunged the territory into a humanitarian crisis.
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Miss Indonesia finalist expelled over old pro-Israel video
JAKARTA: A contestant in the Miss Indonesia 2025 beauty pageant has been expelled after a video emerged showing her waving the Israeli flag and offering prayers for the country, sparking a backlash in the Muslim-majority nation amid tensions over Israel's actions in Gaza. Merince Kogoya (pic), who represented the province of Highland Papua, was officially removed from the competition on June 26 after the resurfaced video went viral on social media. The footage, believed to have been uploaded two years ago - before the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023 - shows Kogoya displaying the Israeli flag and praying for the Jewish state. However, her actions were widely interpreted as support for Israel during its military campaign against Palestinians. The controversy forced the Miss Universe Indonesia organisers to send her home from the pageant's quarantine phase and replace her with another contestant. In a statement posted to Instagram on Monday (July 1), Kogoya defended herself, saying the video was not a political statement but an expression of her Christian faith. "My two-year-old video reel was widely shared and misinterpreted in ways that do not reflect my beliefs,' she wrote. Indonesia does not maintain diplomatic ties with Israel and has long supported the Palestinian cause. Public expressions seen as sympathetic to Israel frequently trigger controversy in the country. - dpa
