Northwest Asian Weekly

You are here: Home / Archives for News / National News

Serena Williams, Jay-Z buy stakes in SE Asian coffee chain

By

Billionaire rapper Jay-Z and tennis megastar Serena Williams are among global public figures who have invested their funds to back the growth of Indonesian coffee chain Kopi Kenangan. Williams invested through her venture company, Serena Ventures, while Jay-Z made the investment through his venture firm Arrive, Edward Tirtanata, CEO of Indonesia’s homegrown coffee chain confirmed […]

Hmong celebrate new year in California amid tighter security

By

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) —Thousands of people gathered on Dec. 27 in central California to celebrate the Hmong new year amid heightened security in the wake of a neighborhood shooting in November that killed four people. The celebration ran through Jan. 1 and featured Hmong foods, dance, music and games along with sports tournaments. It’s believed […]

Hope for Honolulu Chinatown revival via building restoration

By

HONOLULU (AP) — A restoration of the iconic Wo Fat Building could serve as a catalyst in a makeover of Honolulu’s Chinatown, developers said. The proposed $10 million restoration of the 86-year-old landmark is expected to include a cafeteria-style restaurant and 23-room hotel, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported on Dec. 26. The building along Honolulu’s historic […]

Woman gets 10 months for Chinese maternity tourism scheme

By

By AMY TAXIN Associated Press SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A Chinese woman was sentenced to 10 months in prison on Dec. 16 for running a business that helped pregnant women in China lie on visa forms and to immigration authorities so they could travel to Southern California to give birth to children who would […]

Invasive Asian giant hornet found in Washington state

By

SEATTLE (AP) — Officials are warning about the Asian giant hornet, a new invasive species found in Washington state that can pack a powerful sting and be a threat to honeybees. The Washington State Department of Agriculture said the bug was found in early December in Blaine, near the Canadian border. The state’s agriculture and […]

Chinese national arrested for illegally entering Mar-a-Lago

By

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Chinese national trespassed at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 18 and was arrested when she refused to leave, police said, the second time this year a woman from that country has been charged with illicitly entering the Florida resort. Jing Lu, 56, […]

Netflix Christmas film has Asian American actor front and center— it’s still a rarity

By

Associated Press With its multiple teenage characters, the Netflix movie Let It Snow is a mix of a holiday feel-good film and a John Hughes comedy. But unlike those genres, the movie, about a small town besieged by a Christmas Eve snowstorm, has Asian American characters front and centre who aren’t there just to be […]

Baba Ram Dass, spiritual guru and LSD pioneer, dies at 88

By

MAUI, Hawaii (AP) — Baba Ram Dass, the 1960s counterculture spiritual leader who experimented with LSD and traveled to India to find enlightenment, returning to share it with Americans, has died. He was 88. Dass’ foundation, Love Serve Remember, announced late on Dec. 22 that the author and spiritual leader died peacefully at his home […]