Politics

Bollywood-inspired music video seeks to drive South Asian American voters for Harris

Indian American entrepreneur Ajay Jain Bhutoria released a music video featuring the Bollywood song "Nacho Nacho" to energize South Asian voters ahead of November’s presidential election. The track, a Hindi adaptation of the Oscar-winning song "Naatu Naatu" from the Telugu blockbuster “RRR,” aims to bolster support for Kamala Harris in key battleground states.

A rallying track: Produced by Awesome TV founder Ritesh Parikh, the "Nacho Nacho" video features Bollywood singer Shibani Kashyap doing her rendition of the song, interspersed with clips of Harris at various events while her supporters urge people to cast their vote in the upcoming election. The video also draws from past success in the 2020 election, in which Bhutoria’s Bollywood-themed content contributed to Harris's historic vice-presidential win.

Targeting a diverse electorate: Bhutoria, a National Finance Committee member for Harris, said the video seeks to unite millions of eligible South Asian voters to support Harris’ candidacy. "With over 4.4 million Indian-Americans and 6 million South Asians eligible to vote, our goal is to help propel Vice President Kamala Harris to victory in 2024,” he explained. “The video transcends language and cultural barriers, resonating with voters in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali and more.”

News

Queens Assemblymember Ron Kim accuses CCP of trying to “steal” his seat

New York State Assemblymember Ron Kim of Queens claims that groups tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempted to unseat him in the June Democratic primary. Kim, who is the only Korean American ever elected to the New York State Legislature, is speaking out following the arrest of Linda Sun, a former aide to New York governors who is accused of being an unregistered CCP agent in exchange for millions of dollars in kickbacks, allowing her and her husband to purchase expensive properties and luxury items. 

Kim’s statement: Kim believes foreign influence played a role, particularly through the American Chinese Commerce Association, which endorsed his opponent Yi Andy Chen and whose chairman, John Chan, has close ties to Beijing. “There were clear patterns of foreign influence trying to dictate the outcome of the election — groups with ties to mainland China and the CCP. They were trying to steal the Flushing seat,” Kim told the New York Post. He added, “It’s a very layered operation. We’re entering dangerous territory. I don’t know how we can stop it.”

CCP supporters: In November, Chan, who has close ties with the Chinese Consul General, reportedly organized efforts to silence protesters in San Francisco criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government. The protests were suppressed with violence by pro-CCP supporters. Chan later sponsored a trip for New York Assembly Republicans to meet with CCP leaders. Kim also recalled an incident where the Chinese consulate expressed displeasure over his resolution supporting Taiwan, noting that he “was stunned” by the attempted influence.

News

Pro-Trump influencer Lauren Chen accused of pushing Russian propaganda

U.S. officials have linked Canadian influencer Lauren Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan, to an alleged covert Russian propaganda campaign aimed at influencing the 2024 election. Without directly naming them, a federal indictment unsealed on Sept. 4 points to a Tennessee-based media company that purportedly received nearly $10 million from Russian operatives to disseminate propaganda through high-profile conservative influencers.

The allegations: The company is believed to be Tenet Media, which was founded by Chen and Donovan in 2023. The platform gained significant traction by pushing content that aligned with pro-Kremlin and pro-Donald Trump narratives, featuring influencers like Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Lauren Southern. The indictment, which charges two employees of Russian state-controlled media outlet RT, suggests that Chen and Donovan disguised the source of Tenet’s funding, creating a fake private investor called “Eduard Grigoriann.” Chen herself reportedly contributed articles to RT in 2021 and 2022.

What’s next: The FBI continues investigating the alleged scheme. Chen and Donovan were not charged in the indictment, but its unsealing led to Chen’s termination from The Blaze — another conservative media outlet — and the removal of her and Tenet’s YouTube channels. As the U.S. prepares for November’s election, the case highlights growing concerns over foreign influence through social media. “We will continue to do everything we can to expose the hidden hand of foreign adversaries like Russia and disrupt their efforts to meddle in our free and open society,” FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said.

News

Dozens dead as Typhoon Yagi devastates Vietnam

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Typhoon Yagi caused significant devastation in Vietnam but is met with unity and resilience of the affected communities. In one viral video, cars on the road are seen moving slowly next to motorbikes to help block them from the strong winds and protect the drivers. 

Deaths and destruction: Typhoon Yagi hit northern Vietnam on Saturday, leaving at least 64 people dead and over 229 injured. The storm made landfall with winds reaching up to 127 miles per hour — equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane — and causing widespread destruction, including landslides, flooding, bridge collapses and the toppling of thousands of trees. The storm also disrupted factories and agriculture, damaging more than 8,000 homes and large areas of farmland, including rice and fruit crops, in key industrial hubs. 

The big picture: Yagi, one of the most powerful storms of 2024, weakened to a tropical depression as of Sunday morning. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh approved a $4.62 million recovery package for the port city of Haiphong, which faced heavy damage. Yagi previously wreaked havoc in the Philippines, where it killed at least 20 people, and southern China, where four more died and millions were displaced. Experts attribute the increasing severity of such storms to climate change.

News

Dog strollers outsell baby strollers in South Korea amid falling birth rates

Sales of pet strollers reportedly surpassed those for babies in recent years in South Korea. This trend, which comes as the country faces declining birth rates, underscores a broader shift in consumer behavior, with pet-related products seeing increased demand while baby product sales dwindle.

Pets over babies: Gmarket, South Korea’s largest online marketplace, revealed that pet strollers accounted for 57% of total stroller sales in the first three quarters of 2023, compared to 43% for baby strollers. This marks a significant increase from 2021 and 2022, where pet strollers constituted 33% and 36% of sales, respectively. The trend is further supported by data showing pet food outselling baby formula since 2021 and the number of veterinary hospitals now exceeding children's hospitals.

National emergency: South Korea's fertility rate has plummeted to a record low of 0.72, far below the replacement level of 2.1. Meanwhile, pet ownership in the country has surged, with over 25% of households now owning pets. This demographic shift has prompted concerns about the country's future, with President Yoon Suk Yeol declaring a "demographic national emergency" in June.

Sports

China dominates 2024 Paralympics with 222 total medals

China has once again asserted its Paralympic supremacy, topping the medal table at the 2024 Paris Games with 222 medals, including 95 golds. The success marks China's sixth consecutive Paralympics as the leading nation since Athens 2004.

Para-dominance: The Chinese delegation's success was primarily driven by their exceptional performances in para track and field and para swimming, amassing a combined 43 gold medals in these sports alone. Great Britain secured the second position in the medal tally with 125 medals, while the United States followed in third with 105. 

Less coverage than Olympics: In China, many lamented that the Paralympics have garnered significantly less attention compared to the Olympics. "There's more media coverage than there used to be," sports analyst Mark Dreyer told AFP. "But when you look at Chinese news websites these days, Paralympic sports are sort of buried. There's the odd headline here and there, but it's not really getting much coverage.” Some social media users have expressed disappointment over the perceived lack of coverage by state broadcaster CCTV, with the hashtag "Paralympics, low attention" generating over 100 million views on Weibo.

Final Bites

Asians targeted by robbers in sidewalks, parking lots in Washington: Police in Redmond, Washington state, warned the public on Friday to remain vigilant about a crime group targeting the East Indian community in Redmond and other nearby cities. The suspects, believed to be part of a Romanian crime group, allegedly use distraction tactics such as asking for directions while in vehicles to rob victims of their jewelry by swapping them with fake items or taking them by force. The suspects allegedly drive rental SUVs and target pedestrians along sidewalks or in parking lots. Police recorded five recent incidents involving female suspects wearing long dresses, with the victims sustaining minor injuries. Redmond PoliceChief Darrell Lowe said the incidents are not hate crimes but “crimes of opportunity” where the suspects target “potentially vulnerable victims” in affluent neighborhoods.

Memphis Grizzlies sign Paris Olympics Japanese standout Yuki Kawamura: The Memphis Grizzlies announced Friday the signing of several new players ahead of their training camp next month, including Yuki Kawamura, a point guard for Japan's national team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 23-year-old 5’8″ point guard has spent the last five seasons with the Yokohama B-Corsairs, where he was named the 2022-23 most valuable player. Kawamura's signing is an Exhibit 10 contract, which means he is not guaranteed a roster spot for the upcoming season. However, the Grizzlies have the option to convert his contract to a two-way deal, allowing him to play for both the NBA team and its G League affiliate.

The Black Label’s first girl group makes explosive debut: Meovv, The Black Label’s first girl group, made its highly -anticipated debut on Sept. 6 with single “Meow.” The song’s music video amassed 10 million views in just two days but drew some critical reactions, including from viewers who expected more. The Black Label was co-founded by prominent YG Entertainment producer Teddy, who is behind some of Blackpink’s hits. Meovv is composed of Korean members Narin and Sooin, Korean American members Ella and Gawon and Japanese member Anna. Ahead of their debut, Gawon shared receiving advice from Blackpink’s Rosé, who signed with The Black Label in June for future solo activities. A “Meow” performance video released by NPOP on Sunday has received more positive comments, with one user writing in part, “How come this is much better than the MV?”