Nvidia becomes world’s most valuable company

Hello and good morning! It’s Thursday, June 20. Here is some news you need to know in our community today.

“We all deserve to have a home and to be safe”

This date marks World Refugee Day, designated by the United Nations to honor the resilience and courage of over 110 million forcibly displaced people worldwide due to conflict or persecution. Established in 2001, the day brings global attention to the plight of these displaced individuals, 40% of whom are children. This year's focus emphasizes the critical role of refugees as active contributors to global health systems, serving as healthcare professionals, cultural mediators and advocates for equitable access.

Tech

Nvidia becomes world’s most valuable company

Chip-maker Nvidia has become the world’s most valuable company after overtaking close competitors Microsoft and Apple, with its shares reaching an all-time high at a market value of $3.34 trillion on Tuesday. In comparison, Microsoft closed Tuesday's trading with a market value of $3.317 trillion, and Apple with $3.286 trillion.

• The three tech companies have been jockeying for the No. 1 spot for a few days, with Apple taking it on June 13 before being overtaken by Microsoft on Monday and then by Nvidia on Tuesday. Nvidia’s climb to the top has been rapid, as the company only crossed the $1 trillion threshold in mid-2023.

• With this latest milestone, Nvidia’s co-founder Jensen Huang is now the 11th-richest person in the world, with a net worth of approximately $119 billion as of Tuesday. Holding a 3% stake in Nvidia, Huang was ranked as the world’s 76th-richest person last year, with a net worth of $21 billion.

Entertainment

1st Vietnamese song on YouTube to reach 1 billion views

A children’s song has become the first-ever Vietnamese song to break through the 1-billion mark on YouTube. “Mot Con Vit” (“One Little Duck” or “A Duck”) entered the 1-billion-view club at midnight on Sunday, joining the likes of “Gangnam Style” and children’s song “Baby Shark.”

• The music video, uploaded by Heo Con Channel to YouTube in August 2019, is a modernized rendition of the popular '90s children’s song of the same title, written by composer Kim Duyen and sung by Vietnamese children’s musician Xuan Mai in 1998. The original music video shows Xuan Mai, who was age 3 at the time, singing the song while at what appears to be a duck farm.

• The song depicts the anatomy and behavior of ducks, such as the spreading of their wings, splashing in a pond and shaking their wings to dry them. “Mot Con Vit” is also reportedly used as a tool to encourage children to eat their meals.

Crime

Man pleads guilty to Christina Yuna Lee murder

Assamad Nash, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and first-degree burglary as a sexually motivated felony in connection with the brutal 2022 killing of Christina Yuna Lee in her Chinatown apartment in New York. Nash is expected to be sentenced to 30 years-to-life in state prison on July 30.

• At around 4:22 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2022, Nash followed Lee into her building, forced his way into her apartment and attempted to sexually assault her before fatally stabbing her. Neighbors called 911 upon hearing her screams, but police were initially unable to enter the apartment, according to prosecutors. Over an hour later, police found Lee in her bathtub with at least 40 stab wounds, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Nash was located under her bed, while the knife believed to be the murder weapon was discovered hidden behind a dresser.

• Lee's death deeply impacted the Asian American community, occurring amid a surge in anti-Asian hate violence during the pandemic. In May last year, Lee's family filed a lawsuit against the NYPD and New York City, alleging that delays in police response and medical care were contributing factors in her death. The lawsuit demands a jury trial, punitive damages and unspecified compensatory damages, citing claims of negligence, wrongful death, denial or delay of medical care and violations of the state constitution.

Crime

Texas woman sentenced for racial assault on Indian American women

Esmeralda Upton, 59, was sentenced to 40 days in jail and to two years of community supervision probation after pleading guilty to three counts of assault and one count of making terroristic threats, all with hate-crime specifications under Texas law. She was also fined $500 for each charge. Upton will serve her sentence on weekends starting July 19, but failure to appear would result in consecutive jail time.

• On Aug. 24, 2022, Upton was recorded hurling racial slurs and physically assaulting four Indian American women outside of the Sixty Vines Restaurant in Plano. “I hate you f*cking Indians. Go back to India. We don’t want you here,” she told the women before threatening to shoot them. A month later, Dr. Bidisha Rudra, one of the victims, sued Upton for compensatory and punitive damages in a Collin County civil court. 

• Anamika Chatterjee, another victim, also has a pending civil suit against Upton. Her attorney, Subodh Chandra, highlighted Upton's lack of remorse in court, stating, “The lack of an apology speaks volumes about her lack of remorse and contrition. It suggests she simply cut a plea deal to minimize consequences, not to accept responsibility.”

News

Kim Jong Un and Putin sign mutual defense pact in Pyongyang

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a comprehensive agreement on Wednesday pledging mutual assistance if either nation faces aggression. The new pact, whose text was not immediately released, reportedly replaces deals signed in 1961, 2000 and 2001.

• Putin, who was visiting North Korea 24 years to the day of his last visit, received an enthusiastic welcome in the communist country’s capital with thousands of residents lining the streets, waving both nations’ flags and chanting “Welcome Putin!” He expressed hopes in Kim visiting Moscow for their next meeting.

• The agreement, which reportedly aims to boost economic, cultural and humanitarian exchanges, has raised concerns in the U.S. and South Korea over potential arms transfers and military technology exchanges. North Korea could supply Russia with munitions for its ongoing war in Ukraine — Washington claims it already does — while Moscow could provide economic and technological aid that would benefit Pyongyang’s sanctioned nuclear weapons program.

News

Vietnam sees Russian souvenir craze around Putin’s visit

After Pyongyang, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday night to ink agreements on various sectors. The Vietnamese public, who recognize Putin as an “idol” and a “talented” world leader, expressed excitement ahead of his visit, with at least one souvenir store owner reporting remarkable sales of her Russian gifts.

• Vietnam prepared a full state welcome to Putin in a move seen as both a publicity coup and a diplomatic risk; the Russian president is wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, but neither Moscow nor Hanoi are ICC members. Previously, the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said “no country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities.” 

• Russia remains a key military supplier to Vietnam, while historical ties — including the education of Vietnamese cadres in the Soviet Union — continue to underpin the strong relationship between the two countries. Hanoi’s decision to host Putin reflects its “bamboo diplomacy,” which seeks to maintain good relations with major world powers despite their conflicts. This visit follows those of U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last year.

More News

• Biden announces legal protection for undocumented spouses: The Biden administration unveiled relief measures for undocumented immigrants on the 12th anniversary of the DACA program on Tuesday. These include pathways to citizenship for undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens, without requiring self-deportation, and streamlined work visa processes for eligible undocumented college graduates, including DACA recipients and Dreamers. Asian Americans Advancing Justice estimates that 1.7 million Asian immigrants in the U.S. are undocumented. 

• Jackie Chan battles his younger self with help of AI: Jackie Chan, 70, will be facing off against a digitally recreated version of his 27-year-old self in the upcoming film, “A Legend.” The film, which serves as a sequel to Chan’s 2005 hit “The Myth,” will use cutting-edge AI technology to create a younger Chan. Directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Stanley Tong, the film will showcase Chan as Professor Fang, an archaeologist who travels back to the Western Han Dynasty with the help of a mystical artifact.

• Illit’s “Magnetic” continues Billboard streak: K-pop girl group Illit marked its 12th consecutive week in the Billboard charts with “Magnetic,” securing the 19th spot on the Billboard Global Excl. US and 25th on the Billboard Global 200. The track previously made history by entering the Billboard Hot 100, the first time for a debut song from a K-pop group. Illit’s debut album, “Super Real Me,” is currently 12th on the World Albums chart, while the group is 31st on the Emerging Artists chart.

• Nintendo to release “Zelda” game where you can play the princess: Nintendo announced its upcoming slate of games on Tuesday, including “The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom,” in which fans play as Princess Zelda to save Link. The game, available on the Nintendo Switch starting on September 26, will be one of the few titles where fans can play as the titular princess instead of the protagonist, Link. Other games unveiled include “Mario & Luigi Brothership” and “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.”