Latest news with #Cheng
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Olympian Camille Cheng named IOC mental health ambassador, plans Hong Kong advocacy
IOC appoints Camille Cheng as mental health ambassador for Asia Olympic swimmer Camille Cheng Lily-mei has been named one of the first mental health ambassadors by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), recognizing her commitment to athlete wellness beyond her accomplishments in the pool. Cheng, who has represented Hong Kong in three Olympic Games, was invited to attend the IOC Consensus Meeting on Mental Health for Elite Athletes earlier this month in Lausanne, Switzerland. She will serve as the female ambassador representing Asia. Also read: The more time kids spend on phones, the worse their mental health... but bans in schools alone won't help: 'There'll be 12 representatives: a female representative and a male representative from the Americas, Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa, and then two more,' Cheng explained. 'It is up to the ambassador to be very proactive in how we bring what the IOC is doing in this space to our own region.' Live Events The ambassador program is part of a broader IOC initiative to incorporate athlete perspectives into mental health strategies. Cheng, who co-founded Hong Kong-based mental health charity Mind the Waves , plans to bring IOC research and initiatives to local conversations in Hong Kong. 'My hope is to take this experience, the resources that will be available, the research and bring it to Hong Kong and have conversations with the people here that can help,' she said. Cheng aims to localize IOC mental health resources in Hong Kong During her four-day visit to Lausanne, Cheng participated in a series of expert-led sessions on elite athlete mental health, addressing topics such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. More than 30 specialists presented research on mental health trends in high-performance sport. Also read: Yoga offers path to sustainability: WHO regional director Saima Wazed Cheng also co-facilitated workshops during the International Athletes' Forum, held in parallel with the mental health meeting. The forum gathered 300 to 400 athlete representatives globally. 'During this forum, there were five breakout sessions and I, alongside the head of the mental health unit and a clinical psychologist, co-facilitated a workshop for athletes,' she said. Over two days, Cheng led sessions for about 150 participants, discussing the distinctions between mental health and mental illness, signs of psychological distress, and strategies for peer support. 'I feel very privileged to have been in that room, partly because it's a topic that I'm super passionate and interested in myself, and then also having the honor to be one of the athlete representatives as well,' she said. Hong Kong Olympian Camille Cheng has been appointed as one of the International Olympic Committee's first mental health ambassadors. A co-founder of mental health charity Mind the Waves, Cheng aims to adapt the IOC's initiatives to Hong Kong, following her participation in a mental health consensus meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland Olympian Camille Cheng named IOC mental health ambassador , plans Hong Kong advocacy Now 32, Cheng is recovering from ACL surgery and has not competed in over four months. In addition to her Olympic success and six Asian Games medals, she holds a master's degree in industrial-organizational psychology and has expressed interest in pursuing a career in sports psychology. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Ronald Cheng confirms divorce proceedings with Sammie Yu, denies low child support allegation
HONG KONG: Singer-actor Ronald Cheng has confirmed he is finalising his divorce from former TV news anchor Sammie Yu, whom he married in 2011. In a news report yesterday, the couple appeared at the Wan Chai Family Court on Tuesday for a closed-door hearing regarding their separation. Cheng, 53, was accompanied by his father, while Yu, 45, arrived with friends and legal counsel. Speaking to the media after the hearing, Cheng revealed that the judge had granted him permission to issue a public statement. He also disclosed that he is currently seeking custody of their two children: a 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son. "I respect the court, which is why I've refrained from speaking publicly until now. The children are doing fine and are aware of the situation," Cheng said. Addressing earlier media reports, Cheng firmly denied claims that he had offered only HK$8,000 (approximately RM4,327) per month per child in support payments, calling the figure "significantly inaccurate." The claim, initially reported by East Week magazine in April, alleged that Yu found the proposed amount insufficient for covering their children's basic needs—a dispute said to have contributed to the breakdown of their marriage. "The rumour has affected me, my children, and my family," Cheng said in a statement shared on social media. "I want to clarify that we are in the process of finalising our divorce. I hope to protect our children and minimise the use of public resources." He added that the statement had been mutually agreed upon with Yu. Speculation surrounding the couple's relationship began in March when Yu posted photos of her birthday celebration without Cheng's presence. Further public interest was sparked when the couple unfollowed each other on Instagram. They had previously attended another court hearing in April but declined to comment at the time.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. moderate group comes back with a new mission to fight progressives
A deep-pocketed San Francisco advocacy group that spent heavily to shift city politics to the center but suffered bruising losses in last year's election is being reborn under a new name. The moderate organization once known as TogetherSF has evolved into a new $2 million annual initiative called Blueprint for a Better San Francisco, its leaders announced Wednesday. Blueprint will champion centrist policies around public safety, government regulations and the economy while working to educate voters about why they shouldn't embrace progressives in local races. The initiative is being run by another moderate group, the billionaire-backed Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, which merged with TogetherSF after a ballot measure it championed and its preferred mayoral candidate were both rejected by voters in November. Now, Neighbors is trying to pick up where TogetherSF left off by relaunching it under the name Blueprint, the creation of which was first reported by Politico. Blueprint's debut is a sign of how Neighbors and its wealthy donors are trying to reposition themselves in an era of local politics dominated by Mayor Daniel Lurie, who was elected in November after running a largely self-funded campaign that didn't rely on support from Neighbors or other moderate pressure groups. Lurie previously made it known that he didn't want to align himself with Neighbors' executive director, Jay Cheng, over purported ethical missteps for which Cheng denied wrongdoing. Still, leaders of Blueprint said their first objective will be to advocate for the board of supervisors to keep Lurie's recent city budget proposal intact. After that, Blueprint wants to engage voters about local races, including for the board of supervisors and school board next year, aiming to boost moderate candidates. 'For the last four years in San Francisco politics, it really has been kind of an insurgency feeling, like citizens standing up to established incumbents or politics,' said Cheng, the executive director of Neighbors. 'We want to build a blueprint for what an incredible American liberal city looks like.' Cheng said that Blueprint will focus its efforts on educating voters, but it won't be directly involved in political campaign work — that will be handled by the Neighbors group. But that doesn't mean Blueprint is neutral about the kind of candidates and policies it supports. 'Let me make no bones about it: This is a moderate, centrist organization,' Cheng said. 'We are here for good government, fiscal responsibility, economic revitalization, public safety and homeless pragmatism.' Neighbors and Blueprint don't plan to get involved in Supervisor Joel Engardio's recall election, though they support Engardio and want to see a moderate in the seat no matter the outcome, Cheng said. Supporters of Blueprint will celebrate the initiative's launch Wednesday at a party at the Westin St. Francis hotel, where they're expecting some of the most prominent politicians in the city to attend along with hundreds of other guests. In addition to its political advocacy work, Blueprint intends to open an event space in Hayes Valley this summer where it will host gatherings with members, political education sessions and fireside chats with elected leaders. The Phoenix Project, a progressive advocacy group, has labeled Neighbors and TogetherSF as part of a so-called 'Astroturf Network' of big-money groups backed by real estate and technology donors who want to reshape local politics to suit their own interests. Jeremy Mack, the Phoenix Project's executive director, said he viewed the Blueprint initiative as an attempt by TogetherSF to 'save face' following its losses in last year's election. While Blueprint and its allies may seek to frame themselves as part of grassroots movement, Mack sees it as an effort by ultra-wealthy people to push an 'anti-progressive vision for the future of San Francisco.' 'Undue money in politics is bad for the health of democracy,' Mack said. He said he hoped that progressives would be able to 'effectively counter and push back on the outsized role that money is having in determining the future of our city.' Aside from the city budget, other priorities for Blueprint include boosting police staffing, expanding support for abstinence programs and pushing for court-mandated drug treatment programs. The initiative will also seek to give more power to the mayor and curb the influence of city oversight commissions — both of which were goals of Proposition D, the failed measure pushed by TogetherSF last year. Voters approved a similar measure to Prop D that didn't go as far to slash the number of commissions. While voters also didn't back TogetherSF's top pick for mayor, Mark Farrell, moderates nonetheless fared well in the election overall, including in supervisor races. Blueprint will further try to promote economic growth by cutting red tape and advocating for tax breaks to help finance development. And the initiative will support what its leaders described in a statement as 'a best-in-class public education system that delivers empirically measurable learning outcomes.' The director of Blueprint is Scotty Jacobs, who was an unsuccessful candidate for city supervisor in the district that includes the Tenderloin and Hayes Valley. 'We want to help everyday San Franciscans become that friend who knows what's going on in local politics and feel like they can make a difference,' Jacobs said in a statement. 'That's how we build civic power — through education, engagement, and a belief that good government actually works for the people and delivers results on our most pressing issues.'
Politico
3 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Keeping San Francisco's left in the cold
Presented by Programming Note: We'll be off this Thursday but back in your inboxes on Friday. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: HOLD THE CENTER — One of San Francisco's most deep-pocketed advocacy groups will relaunch today with a new name, a $2 million annual budget and a mission to stop progressives from regaining any ground in the city. The group, Blueprint for a Better San Francisco, joins a constellation of moderate advocacy groups that have spent millions in recent years to reshape local politics in one of America's bluest major cities, which has shifted dramatically to the political center. But San Francisco city politics has a long history of swinging between moderate, business-friendly Democrats and those aligned with the party's ultra-liberal left flank. Jay Cheng, a political strategist behind Blueprint, said its main purpose is to make sure moderates keep winning. He said the group wants to turn San Francisco — which Republicans often ridicule for its problems with homeless encampments and drug addiction — into a model for how blue cities … hence Blueprint … can be effectively governed. 'We're very serious about sustaining momentum in the city,' Cheng told Playbook in an exclusive interview. 'We can't afford to take our foot off the gas.' Blueprint's emergence speaks to the broader stakes of San Francisco's shifting political environment as tech executives and other powerful business groups seek to move major American cities away from progressive policies on issues like criminal justice and homelessness, which, they argue, have contributed to a widespread sense of lawlessness and urban decay. That pivot is well underway in San Francisco. Last year, the left lost control of the Board of Supervisors and the county Democratic Party. Voters passed ballot measures to require drug screening for welfare recipients and expand police surveillance — and, in 2022, ousted progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin and three progressive school board members. Blueprint's organizers said they will keep the pressure on San Francisco's supervisors and its new mayor, Daniel Lurie, to lower crime rates, reduce homelessness and improve street conditions. Other priorities include reducing the city's budget deficit and alleviating taxes on downtown real-estate sales. Blueprint will mark its launch tonight with a swanky kickoff party on the top floor of the Westin St. Francis hotel, overlooking the Union Square shopping district — a symbol of the city's emerging recovery. Scotty Jacobs, Blueprint's new director and a former candidate for supervisor (who's known locally for his Instagram and TikTok reels), said more than 700 people have RSVP'd. It's a splashy launch for the next iteration of Together SF, the predecessor to Blueprint that went dormant last year when its largest donor, billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz, backed away. Together was absorbed by Neighbors for a Better SF, the most financially formidable PAC in the city that's relaunching it as Blueprint. Cheng, who's also the director of Neighbors for a Better SF, said Blueprint will be bankrolled by the same network of donors. Neighbors' largest contributors are wealthy tech entrepreneurs and real-estate investors. Among them: billionaire Bill Oberndorf, venture capitalist Ron Conway, venture capitalist Steven Merrill, billionaire hotel magnate John Pritzker and former bank executive Katherine August-deWilde. The group's ties to megadonors could be a liability. Progressive activists have repeatedly targeted Neighbors for a Better SF over its ties with the city's ultra wealthy, including donors who've given heavily to Republicans. The Phoenix Project, an advocacy group on the left, has a derisive nickname for the collection of moderate advocacy groups: the 'Astroturf Network.' It accuses them of working on behalf of 'oligarchs' and 'right-wing billionaires.' Jacobs said Blueprint is a 'very Democratic group' that rejects Trumpism. But he concedes the city's moderate political forces have often worked behind the scenes, creating a sense of suspicion about their funding and motives. The new group, he said, will have a more public face. The group is preparing to open a public gathering space in the trendy Hayes Valley neighborhood next month with the goal of building stronger social ties — especially among younger voters dismayed by the city's decline. 'In the absence of a face or faces, people make up narratives about who's behind the curtain pulling the levers,' Jacobs said. GOOD MORNING. It's Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. ON THE HILL WON'T BACK DOWN — The news cycle has whirred at warp speed in the days since Sen. Alex Padilla was handcuffed for disrupting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's news conference in Los Angeles. But the senator is continuing to speak out about the incident — not just to highlight his own ordeal, he says, but to warn that it could happen to others who object to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Our colleague Melanie Mason spoke with Padilla about the ordeal on Tuesday, just after he took to the Senate floor to deliver an emotional speech. His speech came as New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested in a courthouse after demanding to see a judicial warrant for an immigrant federal officials were attempting to detain. One highlight from the interview: 'My escorts — again, a National Guardsman, an FBI agent — escorted me to the press briefing. They opened the door for me, they walked in and were standing near me as I was listening for several minutes during the press conference.' Read Melanie's Q&A with the senator for more details about what led up to — and followed — the jarring, headline-grabbing incident. CLIMATE AND ENERGY DATA DASH — California is falling behind in the race to build (and regulate) data centers despite billing itself as a leader in both tech and climate. Can lawmakers make headway while balancing conflicting demands from environmentalists, utilities and Silicon Valley? Find out in last night's California Climate. TOP TALKERS ARNOLD'S ADVICE — Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger championed bipartisanship, reform and inclusivity in response to the state's recent wave of immigration raids in Los Angeles County. Schwarzenegger, an immigrant from Austria, emphasized his pride in the U.S. and was quick to give his input when asked how he would handle the situation if he was still governor, saying local, state and federal governments need to work together to reform the system and supply the workforce with enough visas. 'Democrats and Republicans have to come together and solve this issue if they really want to be public servants. If they want to be party servants and be party hacks and be tied to their ideology then it won't happen,' Schwarzenegger said during an interview on 'The View'. COLLECTION PLATE — A Southern California pastor who took Gov. Gavin Newsom to court is now hoping to take the governor's office. Harvest Rock Church minister Che Ahn, whose challenge to California's Covid-19 restrictions on worship yielded a partial Supreme Court win, has dropped more than $100,000 into a 2026 governor campaign. Back in 2020, frustration with Newsom's limits on religious gatherings drove major funding for a failed recall attempt in September 2021. ICE VISIT — Democratic Rep. Judy Chu made her way into the Adelanto ICE facility in San Bernardino County after being stopped at the door earlier this month. Afterward, she said the visit only heightened her urgency surrounding immigration issues in the state. Chu described the conditions of the facility in a post on X as 'filthy' and 'inhumane,' with detainees 'cut off from lawyers, family, and basic necessities.' She left the processing center 'demanding answers and accountability from ICE.' AROUND THE STATE — As water deliveries increase, Trump has quietly been relying on Biden-era and state water rules that he previously decried. (E&E News) — The Fresno City Council approved taking on $100 million in debt to repave the area's deteriorating streets. (The Fresno Bee) — Bay Area tech giant Intel is expected to lay off more than 10,000 workers globally, following a more than $800 million loss in the first quarter of 2025. (San Francisco Chronicle) Compiled by Juliann Ventura PLAYBOOKERS PEOPLE MOVES — Matthew Dumlao has been appointed executive officer of the California State Lands Commission. He also serves as chief of staff and environmental policy adviser to Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; he was previously her deputy chief of staff. — Adrian Martinez has been named director of Earthjustice's Right To Zero campaign, which aims to electrify the transportation, building and industrial sectors. He will transition from his role as deputy managing attorney of the group's California office. BIRTHDAYS — state Sen. Jerry McNerney … LA County Democratic Party Chair Mark Ramos … Ryan Kenny at Clean Energy Fuels … former national security adviser Robert O'Brien … Rachel Alben at the Motion Picture Association … Ryan Darsey in the office of San Diego Councilmember Stephen Whitburn WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
Mint
5 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Hedge Fund Up 42% Last Year Offloads Its Biggest Winner Nvidia
(Bloomberg) -- Hedge fund founder Jonah Cheng calls Nvidia Corp. the best pick of his career. But he has now sold the last of his shares in the company, expressing doubts about the outlook for the $3.5 trillion chipmaker. The former UBS Group AG analyst, whose tech-focused fund generated returns of 42% last year, was among the investors who rode Nvidia's breakneck rise over the past decade. It was one of the first stocks he bought when he set up the Captain Global Fund in 2016, and he has reinvested multiple times since then. Cheng sold his Nvidia shares in the first quarter, based on worries about delays connected to its GB200 racks. He points to inventory risks, a lack of upward revisions to earnings forecasts, competition from custom-designed chips and wider questions about the pace of spending from cloud computing companies as reasons he is avoiding the stock. 'I really like Nvidia, which is the stock that helped me make the most money in my life,' said Cheng, whose fund has around $100 million of assets under management. 'But when I need to sell, I need to sell. You can't fall in love with a stock.' Nvidia's shares have jumped more than 1,400% over the past five years, and it remains overwhelmingly favored by analysts. But a few skeptics are emerging. Seaport Global Securities gave the stock a rare sell rating on April 30, pointing to the odds of slowing AI budgets in 2026. Michael Burry, famous for his 'big short' against the US housing market, loaded up on bearish options on Nvidia earlier this year, although that may have been a hedge. Read: Can Nvidia Keep Growing? Markets Don't Care: John Authers Still, the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker is a hard stock to bet against. Although Nvidia tumbled in the first quarter as surprising progress from China's DeepSeek roiled tech stocks, it has now recouped all of its losses to trade up around 6% this year, based on Friday's close. Signs of a detente between China and the US have helped, easing one of the biggest headaches for global chipmakers. Cheng, a star chip sector analyst at UBS before he become a hedge fund manager, said he hasn't become a long-term bear on Nvidia. He would still buy the stock if the company revised its earnings outlook higher, and says he hasn't taken a short position on Nvidia. Cheng also sold his shares in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract chipmaker, in late 2024. He cited geopolitical risks, as well as the lack of visibility about spending plans from cloud service providers. He currently favors smaller companies that supply to the tech giants. Among his top picks: AI server makers Celestica Inc. and Wiwynn Corp., cooling product manufacturer Asia Vital Components Co. and cable maker Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd. More stories like this are available on
