Latest news with #foreigners
Japan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Japan Times
LDP policy chief visits Kawaguchi over reported problems with Kurdish residents
Itsunori Onodera, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, on Wednesday visited the city of Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture, where problems have been reported between Kurdish residents and locals. Onodera inspected places such as a garbage collection spot where illegal waste dumping has become a problem. He told reporters that the LDP would compile proposals on issues linked to foreigners and ask the government for appropriate responses. Onodera met with city officials including Mayor Nobuo Okunoki. The officials suggested there had also been cases of foreigners working illegally. "Order is the premise of societies in which people coexist," the LDP policy chief said. "We will not live with foreigners who do not maintain order or abide by rules."
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
It's Too Easy for Foreigners to Buy Property in Japan
A cottage industry has spun up in Japan in the last few years offering abandoned houses, known as akiya, to foreigners. Many countries have stock of underused housing, though Japan is certainly one of the worst offenders. Since the post-pandemic reopening, there's been a surge of interest in akiya among those priced out of their markets at home. Buyer beware: Living in poorly insulated, socially isolated dwellings in the countryside can often be less My Neighbor Totoro and more torturous.
Mail & Guardian
7 days ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
Universities defend hiring of foreign staff
Academics say claims by politicians and on social media are fueling xenophobia and could compromise their safety. Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/picture alliance /Getty Images Claims by politicians that South African universities are hiring more foreigners than locals for posts are stoking In parliament earlier this month, Reports of this sparked outrage on social media, with some users accusing institutions including the University of Fort Hare, University of the Free State, the University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand of being biased against local academics. Some posted lists of the names of foreigners they claimed had been hired. 'If a narrative such as this begins to take hold, if it becomes something that people believe to be true, then my concern is that that would generate a hostile environment — for international academics, specifically for African international academics — which can make life and work in South Africa profoundly difficult,' said Alf Nielsen, a Norwegian professor and director of the Centre for Asian Studies in Africa at the University of Pretoria. 'It's important to note that it's already quite challenging for most of us to be international academics, in terms of the difficulties that we experience with renewing our work permits, where rejection is more of a rule and an exception, despite the fact that you've worked at an institution in South Africa for quite a long time.' One list which was posted on social media was of academics at the University of Pretoria's Centre for Human Rights. The director of the Department of Institutional Advancement at the university, Rikus Delport, said it 'unequivocally rejects the false and misinformed commentary circulating regarding the staff composition of the Centre for Human Rights'. 'All academic staff are South Africans or permanent residents of the country and bring invaluable continental expertise that enhances the quality and relevance of the centre's academic and advocacy work,' Delport told the Mail & Guardian. 'The diversity of the centre's academic team is not incidental — it is essential. It directly reflects the centre's mandate to engage with human rights issues across Africa with depth, credibility and authenticity,' he said. He added that, overall, the university's law faculty exceeded the government's employment equity target. Parliament's portfolio committee on higher education said it was concerned about the University of the Free State's employment of 141 foreign academics and 26 foreign support staff and in March visited institutions of higher learning in the province to assess whether transformation, legislation and employment equity policies were being implemented. (Graphic: John McCann/M&G) Chairperson Walter Tebogo Letsie told the M&G that the committee 'observed non-adherence legislation as some institutions employed foreign nationals in non-scarce skills positions, despite South Africans having qualifications, skills and competencies to execute the duties of such positions'. 'Why are South Africans overlooked, even when they meet the requirements?' he asked. Following attacks that appeared on social media, the 'There are no legal quotas restricting the hiring of international academic staff. 'Many emerging markets around the world strive for international academic representation of 10% to 15% as a means to promote diversity, spur innovation and collaborate on research,' it said in a 'According to our most recent audited data, 81% of [our] academic staff are South African, while 19% are international.' Asked about reports of his committee requesting information from universities on the number and qualifications of the international staff they employed, Letsie said it would seek to 'ensure that their appointments adhere to the policy'. He said that universities must take responsibility 'where there is evidence of transgression' of the Employment Service Act. Responding to the xenophobic comments circulating on social media, Letsie said the portfolio committee sought to ensure that foreign academics, who are welcome in the country, 'meet all the legal requirements, have qualifications and that they have skills that South Africans do not'. Senior journalism and media studies lecturer at Wits University, Zimbabwean-born Collen Chambwera, said that while the nature of social media was generally 'anarchic' he was more concerned about false claims coming from political figures. 'Politicians are supposed to be more responsible than social media, you would think, and officialising something like listing names of foreign nationals who are employed by universities — I think it's reckless,' he said. The Free State's Central University of Technology did not respond to questions from the M&G.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Trump Gold Card visa program to launch online within weeks, commerce secretary says
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday that the Trump Gold Card, which makes it possible for any foreigner to buy a visa for $5 million, will be available online within weeks. Lutnick was a guest at Axios' streamed event, Building the Future, Wednesday, where he was interviewed by company co-founder Mike Allen about several topics, including President Donald Trump's offering of a Gold Card. In March, Trump said the Gold Card would go on sale "very, very soon," explaining it would be like a green card, "but better and more sophisticated." He said the newest path to citizenship in the U.S. would allow the "most successful job-creating people from all over the world to buy a path to citizenship." Allen asked Lutnick when the $5 million Gold Card would be available, and Lutnick said he expected a website called to be up and running in about a week. "The details of that will come soon after, but people can start to register. And all that will come over a matter of the next weeks — not month, weeks," Lutnick said. He also shared a story about a recent "great dinner" in the Middle East with about 400 people. During the dinner, Lutnick said, he had his phone out when one of the senior leaders walked by and asked why his phone was out. "I go, 'I am selling him cards,'" Lutnick said. "So, basically everyone I meet who's not an American is going to want to buy the card if they have the fiscal capacity." He acknowledged that not everyone will be able to afford a Gold Card, but it will be available to those who can afford to help America pay off its debt. "Why wouldn't they want a plan B that says God forbid something bad happens, you come to the airport in America and the person in immigration says, 'Welcome home.' Right? As opposed to, 'Where the heck am I going if something bad's happening in my country,'" Lutnick continued. He noted that everyone will be vetted for a card, adding those who come in with $5 million for a visa are going to be "great people who are going to come and bring businesses and opportunity to America. And they're going to pay $5 million." Lutnick offered one more hypothetical scenario, saying if 200,000 people purchase the Gold Card for $5 million, that's $1 trillion. "Remember, we get 280,000 visas per year now for free, not counting the 20 million people who broke into this country for nothing under Biden," Lutnick said. "And, so, I want you to think about that. We give it away for free and said Donald Trump's gonna bring in a trillion dollars for what purpose? To make America better. And it makes perfect sense to me." Trump has previously touted his plan before to attract the world's wealthiest to become U.S. citizens, though it comes at a time when he is both clamping down on illegal migration and as universities are increasingly in the spotlight amid soaring school costs and crippling student loans. After Trump's announcement in March, Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, warned it could invite fraud. "Any immigration benefit draws fraud. … People are willing to do anything and say just about anything to come to the U.S.," Ries told Fox News Digital. In an interview in February with Fox News' Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier on "Special Report," Lutnick said all candidates will be "deeply vetted." "These are vetted people," Lutnick told Baier. "These are going to be great global citizens who are going to bring entrepreneurial spirit, capacity and growth to America. If one of them comes in, think of the jobs they are going to bring with them, the businesses they are going to bring with them, and they are going to pay American taxes as well. So, this is huge money for America."
Free Malaysia Today
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Free Malaysia Today
JPJ to stop converting foreign driving licences from May 19
From Monday, foreigners who need to have a Malaysian driving licence must complete the necessary procedures that all Malaysians have to go through. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The road transport department (JPJ) will stop taking applications to convert foreign driving licences to Malaysian licences from May 19. This means that, from Monday, foreigners who need to have a Malaysian driving licence must complete the necessary procedures that all Malaysians have to go through. However, exemptions are given to individuals under the diplomatic corps, Malaysia My Second Home participants and Malaysians who only hold foreign driving licences. JPJ said this move was aimed at improving road safety, particularly involving foreigners on Malaysian roads. 'For foreigners in Malaysia for less than 12 months, if their home country is a signatory to the 1949 and 1968 convention on road traffic, they are allowed to drive in Malaysia with an international driving permit issued by the relevant authority of their home country. 'For citizens of Asean countries, they only need to have their driving licence from their home country,' it added.
