Arraignment of Chinese man accused of killing Nigerian ex-girlfriend stalls due to lack of interpreter
- The arraignment of Chinese national Geng Quanrong in Kano, Nigeria, has reportedly stalled due to a lack of an interpreter.
- Geng, 47, is facing a homicide charge after allegedly stabbing his ex-lover Ummukulsum “Ummita” Buhari to death on Sept. 16.
- The hearing has been adjourned twice since Sept. 21: first, due to a Magistrate court’s lack of jurisdiction in the case, and second, due to Geng’s lack of legal representation.
- Under Nigerian law, defendants have a constitutional right to communication in a language they understand.
- Prosecutors have asked the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, as well as the Chinese community in Kano, to provide an interpreter on Geng’s behalf.
- Geng will return to court on Oct. 27.
The arraignment of a Chinese man accused of murdering his Nigerian ex-girlfriend has stalled due to a lack of an interpreter, according to local reports.
Geng Quanrong, 47, is facing a homicide charge after allegedly stabbing his 22-year-old ex-lover, Ummukulsum “Ummita” Buhari, on Sept. 16. He reportedly confessed to the crime, saying Buhari broke her promise to marry him even after he had spent so much money on her.
Heart Evangelista makes cameo on ‘Bling Empire’
- Filipino actor, painter and socialite Heart Evanglista made a cameo appearance on the third season of Netflix’s “Bling Empire.”
- Series regular Kane Lim confirmed the cameo hours before the season premiere on Wednesday, saying he had kept it a secret for “many months.”
- Evangelista appears at the beginning of the ninth episode, with Lim throwing a Filipino-inspired party for her.
- Rumors about Evangelista’s cameo began circulating in August 2021 when she was spotted with Lim and “Bling Empire” co-star Kelly Mi Li in Los Angeles.
- In a tweet, Evangelista thanked the “Bling Empire” family for throwing her the “sweetest party.”
Filipino actor, painter and socialite Heart Evangelista made a cameo appearance in the third season of Netflix’s “Bling Empire,” much to the delight of fans worldwide.
Series regular Kane Lim confirmed Evangelista’s appearance in an Instagram Story post hours before the season premiere on Wednesday. The video from August 2021 showed Lim, Evangelista and “Bling Empire” co-star Kelly Mi Li in front of a Chanel store in Los Angeles.
Elon Musk teases turning Twitter into ‘everything app’ like China’s WeChat
- Elon Musk on Tuesday teased the creation of an “everything app” called “X.”
- The world’s richest man, 51, made the announcement after offering to buy Twitter for its originally agreed-upon price of $44 billion, or $54.20 per share.
- Musk said the Twitter buyout will likely accelerate the development of X by three to five years, “but I could be wrong.”
- Various speculations have been made about the upcoming app, including a larger social platform, an Amazon killer and a “super app” inspired by China’s WeChat.
- Twitter is reportedly discussing Musk’s offer.
Elon Musk hinted at the creation of an “everything app” shortly after once again offering to buy Twitter for $44 billion.
The world’s richest man, 51, first sought to buy the microblogging platform for said price in April. However, he tried to back out from the deal two months later, triggering a legal battle that experts said would ultimately have resulted in his loss.
Thizzler under fire for music video of rapper using slant eyes, mocking Chinese people
- Hip-hop and rap music platform Thizzler has sparked outrage after publishing a music video that mocks Chinese people.
- The song, titled “PeeWee,” comes from a rap artist known as EBK Trey B.
- In the video, EBK Trey B can be seen pulling his eyes back while rapping: “They dropped a diss, I guess we f*cking with the Chinese.”
- The slant-eyes gesture, sometimes called pulling “squinty eyes” or “fox eyes,” has long been considered racist by the Asian community.
- Last year, another rapper faced similar criticism after releasing a music video that showed him stepping on an Asian man, who was also portrayed as an armed interloper.
Underground music platform Thizzler has sparked outrage after publishing a music video of a rap artist who used slant eyes while mocking Chinese people.
The two-and-a-half minute music video, titled “PeeWee,” shows rapper EBK Trey B pulling his eyes back while rapping: “They dropped a diss, I guess we f*cking with the Chinese.”
California man charged with hate crimes for targeting South Asian women in necklace robbery spree
- Lathan Johnson, 37, is facing robbery and hate crime charges after allegedly targeting South Asian women in a two-month robbery spree in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Beginning in June, Johnson snatched approximately $35,000 worth of necklaces off of at least 14 women in San Jose, Milpitas, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, according to prosecutors.
- In one incident, Johnson allegedly shoved the victim to the ground and punched her husband before grabbing a $1,000 necklace off her neck.
- Almost all of the victims were wearing a sari, bindi or other types of ethnic attire when they were attacked.
- Johnson, of East Palo Alto, is scheduled to be arraigned today on hate crime charges.
A man has been charged with hate crimes after targeting South Asian women in a two-month robbery spree in the San Francisco Bay Area, prosecutors said on Monday.
Lathan Johnson, 37, of East Palo Alto, is accused of snatching necklaces from at least 14 women — aged 50 to 73 — and injuring some of them in the process.
San Francisco street walked by Vicha Ratanapakdee is renamed after him
- Sonora Lane, a street in San Francisco, was renamed Vicha Ratanapakdee Way in honor of the late Thai immigrant whose image helped galvanize the Stop Asian Hate movement.
- Ratanapakdee, 84, died two days after being shoved during an unprovoked attack along Anza Vista and Fortuna Avenues on Jan. 28, 2021.
- His alleged assailant, Antoine Watson, has pleaded not guilty to murder and elder abuse charges.
- A ceremony was held on Saturday at Terra Vista and Encanto Avenues to announce the renaming.
A San Francisco street was renamed on Saturday after Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old Asian man who was fatally shoved last year and whose image helped galvanize the Stop Asian Hate movement.
Ratanapakdee, a Thai immigrant, was out for a morning walk along Anza Vista and Fortuna Avenues on Jan. 28, 2021, when an assailant appeared and pushed him to the ground. Ratanapakdee was found in a pool of his own blood before being rushed to the hospital, where he died two days later.
TikTok video of woman kicked out of Korean BBQ restaurant for being alone has netizens divided
- TikTok user Sunshine Chavez took to the platform to share her experience of being kicked out from a Korean barbecue restaurant because she was alone.
- The incident occurred at Bwon Shabu & BBQ at 1841 W. Orangethorpe Ave. in Fullerton, California, as per the customer sign-in sheet Chavez had shared.
- In her 15-second TikTok video, a staff member can be heard saying that the restaurant only accepts a minimum of “two orders” while showing the policy in print.
- While turning Chavez away, the staff apologizes and encourages her to bring a friend “next time.”
- Chavez said the incident left her sitting in her car and crying before giving herself a confidence check after 15 minutes.
A woman said she ended up in tears after being asked to leave a Korean barbecue restaurant in Fullerton, California, because she was alone.
Sunshine Chavez, who describes herself as “just a girl that’s passionate about cooking,” took to TikTok to share her unfortunate experience, which occurred at Bwon Shabu & BBQ at 1841 W. Orangethorpe Ave. earlier this week.
Asians, Jews in Philadelphia unite in new organization to fight hate
- Gov. Tom Wolf’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the American Jewish Alliance launched the Pennsylvania Asian Pacific American Jewish Alliance (PAPAJA) on Thursday.
- United by shared experiences of increased violence in recent years, the alliance seeks to build ties between the Asian and Jewish communities and create opportunities for them to work together against hate and discrimination.
- Aside from combating hate, Stephanie Sun, executive director of the Advisory Commission, said the alliance will cultivate knowledge on unique common struggles, such as “the myth of model minority and the myth of dual loyalty.”
- Thursday’s press conference, which was held at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, came right after the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.
United by a common struggle of increased hate in recent years, Asian and Jewish people in Philadelphia will now be represented by an organization that aims to combat further violence against their communities.
Launched on Thursday by Gov. Tom Wolf’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the American Jewish Committee, the new Pennsylvania Asian Pacific American Jewish Alliance (PAPAJA) seeks to build ties between the Asian and Jewish communities and create opportunities to work together to purge anti-Asian hate and anti-Semitism.
Chicago police release details of suspects in violent robbery of elderly Asian man on Red Line train
- Chicago police are looking for a man and a woman in connection with a Red Line train robbery that left an elderly Asian man bleeding profusely from his head.
- The incident, which was caught in a now-viral video, occurred near the 95th/Dan Ryan stop at 15 W. 95th St. at around 2:40 a.m. on Sunday, according to police.
- In the video, the pair of suspects can be seen asking for the victim’s ID, reaching into his pockets and ultimately bashing his head with his own wine bottle.
- Teshaun Terry, who recorded the incident, said there was “literally no one” at the station when she rushed to ask for help.
- Police described the suspects as Black, aged 25 to 30 and standing between 5 feet and 3 inches and 5 feet and 9 inches.
- The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) relaunched a K-9 unit, added private security guards and installed new surveillance cameras at station booths in response to the incident.
Chicago police have released information on the suspects of a Red Line train robbery that left an elderly Asian man bleeding profusely from his head.
The incident, which was caught in a now-viral video, occurred near the 95th/Dan Ryan stop at 15 W. 95th St. at around 2:40 a.m. on Sunday, according to police.
‘There remains much work to do’: Biden’s Advisory Commission on AANHPI releases inaugural report
- U.S. President Joe Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) released its inaugural report and held its third public meeting this week.
- The inaugural report, which was sent to Biden on Aug. 24, presents more than a dozen recommendations in six key areas: (1) belonging, inclusion, anti-Asian hate and anti-discrimination; (2) health equity; (3) immigration and citizenship status; (4) language access; (5) data disaggregation and (6) economic equity.
- The third public meeting, which was held on Wednesday, saw the 25-member commission discuss full and draft recommendations.
- Co-chaired by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai, the commission is tasked with advising the president on how the public, private and non-profit sectors can work together to advance equity, justice and opportunity for AANHPI communities.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) released its inaugural report and held its third public meeting this week.
Launched last December under Executive Order 14031, the 25-member commission is tasked with advising the president on how the public, private and non-profit sectors can work together to advance equity, justice and opportunity for AANHPI communities. It is co-chaired by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai.
NYPD cop of 18 years charged with hate crime over anti-Muslim attack
- The New York Police Department fired Riggs Kwong, an 18-year veteran, on Sept. 6 for his alleged involvement in an anti-Muslim attack earlier this year.
- Kwong, 50, is facing multiple charges — including hate crimes — for the Jan. 16 road rage incident, which allegedly saw him pummel, spit on and use anti-Muslim language toward 32-year-old Abdul Motalab.
- As heard in his own cellphone recording, Kwong referred to Motalab as a “terrorist,” “Mr. Mohammed, “Al Qaeda” and “ISIS” during their altercation.
- Kwong is also accused of making a false statement in which he claimed that Motalab had thrown the first punch.
- Motalab, who suffered minor injuries, was charged with drunk driving after reportedly admitting to having three beers before driving.
An officer who spent the last 18 years with the New York Police Department has been fired from the force due to his alleged involvement in an anti-Muslim attack earlier this year.
Riggs Kwong, 50, is facing multiple charges — including hate crimes — for the Jan. 16 road rage incident, which allegedly saw him pummel, spit on and use anti-Muslim language toward a 32-year-old man.
Vietnamese American nail tech has 5 percent chance of survival after allegedly racist attack, family says
- California native Phong Tran, 43, remains on life support after being punched outside a pub in Toledo, Ohio, on Sept. 1.
- Tran, who worked as a nail technician, sustained a severe traumatic brain injury that required him to undergo multiple surgeries.
- Tran’s family believes the attack was both unprovoked and racially motivated.
- Andre Pitts, 25, has been charged with felonious assault in connection with the incident.
A Vietnamese American man is fighting for his life nearly a month after a vicious assault outside a pub in Toledo, Ohio, left him with a severe traumatic brain injury.
California native Phong Tran, 43, was punched and found unconscious outside Ye Olde Cock N Bull on N. Huron St. at around 2 a.m. on Sept. 1. Police on Tuesday released body cam footage that shows witnesses who came to his aid.
