Asianet Newsable

Viral Video: 7 dogs Escape Traders, Walk 17 Km Home in Heartwarming Clip (WATCH)

Gargi Chaudhry — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:23:53 +0530

Seven abducted rural dogs were discovered travelling together along a main highway in northeastern China after fleeing suspected dog meat dealers. They embarked on a 17-kilometer trip back to their hometown, as captured in a moving video that has gone popular on social media.

Lu, a Chinese citizen, captured video of a pack of dogs marching in formation along a roadway in Changchun, Jilin province, on March 16, according to the South China Morning Post. Lu first saw them on the highway, which was around 17 km from their village.

The footage showed the dogs approaching slowly, with some keeping close to an injured German shepherd. A Corgi looked to lead the group, often turning back to check on the others. Lu told the Chinese publication Dahe Daily: "They resemble a band of little brothers in distress, moving in unison - nothing like stray dogs."

According to Lu, he attempted several times to direct the dogs away from traffic and into safety, but they would not respond. After posting a video of the dogs on China's social networking platform Douyin, he urged local authorities to intervene.

Watch Video

Seven dogs stolen from their owners have gone viral after escaping from an illegal transport truck and making their way home.They traveled around 17 km together, led by a corgi across highways and fields, now safely back with their respective owners..❤️ pic.twitter.com/H5VB9BQkGB

— o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) March 23, 2026

Volunteers from a local rescue organization, the Bitter Coffee Stray Dog Base, eventually recognised the dogs as being from the same town, where they were known to wander freely and build tight ties over time. Following the complaints, the organization organised a rescue mission, sent volunteers, and employed a drone to find the dogs and safely escort them back home.

According to the South China Morning Post, one of the volunteers said that the animals were stolen by persons associated with a dog meat industry and might have escaped while being transported. However, no one has independently confirmed how the dogs ended up on the roadway.

On March 19, a volunteer notified Jimu News that all seven dogs were safely returned and were reunited with their owners. One of the owners expressed relief that his missing German shepherd and Golden Retriever had been returned, noting that they were fortunate to have avoided such a destiny. Another owner described her Corgi as exceptionally clever and known for finding its way home.

Viral Post: Puppy Goes to Kindergarten in China—Fees ₹1.6 Lakh, Internet Shocked

Gargi Chaudhry — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:53:39 +0530

A lady in China has gone viral after spending 12,000 yuan (approximately Rs 1.6 lakh) to register her six-month-old Samoyed in a dog school for training due to her hectic schedule. The lady selected a package that includes testing, behaviour training, social events, and even a school bus for pick-up and drop-off.

The woman, known by the moniker Taotao, is from the 1990s generation and lives in Shanghai, according to MoneyControl report. She stated that owing to her hectic schedule and limited time, she enrolled her six-month-old Samoyed in a dog kindergarten for training. "I am usually too busy with work and do not have much time to keep it company," Taotao told Cover News.

The service costs 12,000 yuan a month (roughly Rs 1.58 lakh), according to Taotao, and includes daily boarding at 188 yuan, 368 yuan for parent-child sessions, and a school bus pickup and drop-off service, with meals being charged separately.

The facility also offers a comprehensive service that includes personality assessment, behavioural training, daily cleaning, health check-ups, and pet socialisation. Pet owners can watch their animals in real time online, and a Shanghai-based creator called Chen claimed such services are in great demand, with registration taking two to three weeks.

While the facility maintains between 20 to 30 dogs during the off-season, numbers exceed 100 during peak demand periods like as the Chinese New Year.

How Did Social Media React?

One user asked, “How much do you have to earn to cover your pet's tuition? They must be quite well-off.” Another person said, "Some people would be enraged viewing this. They would not even invest 12,000 yuan every semester in their own child's kindergarten."

A third commenter commented, “I once witnessed a pet owner in Shenzhen spending 5,500 yuan (US$800) per month merely to hire someone to walk their dog, and I was stunned. Poverty severely restricts my imagination.”

China Admits Its Engineers Were Inside Pakistan Air Base During Conflict With India

Anish Kumar — Fri, 08 May 2026 20:43:44 +0530

New Delhi: In what amounts to a stunning admission, China has officially confirmed for the first time that its engineers provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during last May's military conflict with India – a claim India had repeatedly made. China's state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday aired an interview with Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute – the very facility that builds China's most advanced fighter jets. Zhang was stationed at a Pakistani air base during the conflict.

India Said It. China Confirmed It.

India had on multiple occasions asserted that China was actively involved in supporting Pakistani operations during the May conflict.

For months, those claims were brushed aside. Now, straight from Beijing's own state media, comes the confirmation India had been waiting for.

Zhang himself described the conditions on the ground: “At the support base, we frequently heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air-raid sirens. By late morning in May, the temperature was already approaching 50 degrees Celsius. It was a real ordeal for us, both mentally and physically.”

That's not a support role from thousands of kilometres away. That's boots on the ground.

The J-10CE Factor

Pakistan's Chinese-supplied J-10CE fighters – the export variant of the 4.5-generation J-10C – are now at the centre of the story.

During the conflict, at least one of these jets is reported to have shot down a French-made Rafale fighter operated by India, the Chinese engineer claimed.

It was a historic first on two counts – the J-10CE's first confirmed air combat kill, and the first time a Rafale had ever been downed in combat.

AVIC engineer Xu Da, who was also embedded with Pakistani forces, called the J-10CE their “child.” He said: "We nurtured it, cared for it, and finally handed it over to the user. And now, it was facing a major test."

He added: "As for the outstanding results the J-10CE achieved, we weren't very surprised... it felt inevitable."

The Numbers Tell the Story

Pakistan is the only known foreign operator of the J-10C. It ordered 36 of the jets along with 250 PL-15 air-to-air missiles back in 2020.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a staggering 80 per cent of Pakistan's arms imports between 2021 and 2025 came from China.

In other words, Pakistan didn't just fly Chinese jets in that conflict. It flew Chinese jets, armed with Chinese missiles, with Chinese engineers on standby at the base.

India’s Assertion Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh, the deputy chief of Indian Army made the most direct statement at the FICCI 'New Age Military Technologies' event on July 4, 2025. He had said: “We had one border and two adversaries, actually three. Pakistan was in the front. China was providing all possible support... When DGMO-level talks were on, Pakistan had the live updates of our important vectors, from China.”

His revelations were described as the first public official acknowledgment of China's real-time support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

Is China Set to Gain From Donald Trump’s Middle East Muddle?

Asianet Newsable English — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:26:59 +0530

China will be in a stronger position to extract concessions from Donald Trump when the US president finally visits Beijing after becoming entangled in his Middle East war, analysts say. Trump had been due in the Chinese capital at the end of this month for talks with President Xi Jinping, but has delayed his trip by several weeks to deal with the fallout from the war.

His decision last month to join Israel in strikes on Iran has plunged the Middle East into violence, pushed energy prices to years-long highs and seeded fears of global supply shortages due to Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

With Trump struggling to define how the intervention will end and traditional allies reluctant to back him, the US leader may come to China needing a diplomatic win.

"A show of US force that was meant to intimidate Beijing has instead served to puncture the illusion of US omnipotence," said Ali Wyne, a senior adviser focusing on US-China ties at the International Crisis Group think tank.

"Unable to reopen the Strait of Hormuz alone, Washington now needs its principal strategic competitor to help it manage a crisis of its own making," Wyne said.

Trump said on Tuesday he expects to travel to China in "five or six weeks".

The prospective summit would aim to formalise a truce on tariffs that Trump and Xi shook hands on at a meeting in South Korea in October.

But Trump's weakened position could help Beijing argue for deeper tariff cuts and limit Washington's ability to push for change on other trade issues like access to critical minerals.

New leverage

Top Chinese and American trade officials held what they called "constructive" talks in Paris last weekend that were seen as setting the stage for a Xi-Trump summit.

Any chances of major breakthroughs on trade "seem limited", according to Dan Wang, a director on Eurasia Group's China team, with bilateral trust low after years of disputes over trade, technology and rights.

New US trade investigations into excess industrial capacity in 60 economies including China have also drawn Beijing's ire.

The Chinese leader will benefit from more strategic leverage over Trump as the war drags on -- at least in the near term, analysts told AFP.

Beijing has so far ignored Trump's call for help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil and gas shipments.

Nor has it relaxed its tight control on exports of rare earths, an industry that China dominates and provides certain critical minerals needed in US weaponry.

US military demand for certain "heavy" rare earths far exceed commercial needs, Jason Bedford, visiting senior research scholar at the National University of Singapore's East Asian Institute, told AFP.

They are used for equipment including drones, jet fighters, missile guidance systems and radar, said Bedford.

While the size of US military stockpiles is a "closely guarded secret", he said, "in theory, (China) could certainly disable new weapons production".

The absence of announcements on Hormuz or rare earths suggests "no concrete results were made during the trade talks" in Paris, said Wang of Eurasia Group.

Xi and Trump "have other chances to meet this year", but "the prospects of getting breakthroughs beyond lower tariffs seem limited", she told AFP.

‘Not reliable’

China could also calibrate its actions to make Trump's domestic position shakier at a time when a majority of Americans already oppose military action in the Middle East.

Trump and his negotiators "want China to buy US agricultural products, which is important to the midterm elections for the Republicans", said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University.

"If you cannot stabilise relations with China, you have to face some big challenges," Wu said.

Any Xi-Trump summit is unlikely to succeed in changing either side's broader geostrategic aims.

On Thursday, the Trump administration announced that it is considering easing certain sanctions targeting Iranian oil to curb rising prices -- a move experts say could benefit China.

China is believed to be the main buyer of sanctioned Iranian oil, making it Tehran's "main economic lifeline", Henry Tugendhat, a China expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said at a forum on Wednesday.

Beijing also has "no incentive" to stop selling weapons to Iran as long as the United States continues to provide arms to self-ruled Taiwan, Tugendhat said.

On the streets of Beijing this week, locals were circumspect about a visit from the US president.

"Trump's personality is that he changes every day," a 50-year-old IT worker surnamed Huang told AFP.

"Even if he comes, he may have reached agreements with you, but he will change his mind," he said.

"He is not reliable."

Still, Trump's willingness to come to Beijing is a positive sign for 32-year-old finance worker Yang, who said: “I think the United States still hopes to maintain a positive and friendly attitude towards China.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

SHOCKING! Dancing Robot Hits Child During Public Show in China, Video Goes Viral (WATCH)

Gargi Chaudhry — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 18:42:50 +0530

A humanoid robot inadvertently smacked a little child in the face during a public dance display in China's Shaanxi province on March 21, in an event that has since gone viral on social media. The video shows the robot doing twirls and kicks inside a cordoned-off area before swinging its arms toward a toddler standing nearby. Handlers quickly stepped in to pull the machine away, but it resumed its preset routine in the center of the ring. The robot is thought to be the G1 humanoid model developed by Chinese technology company Unitree Robotics. The machine, which weighs around 35 kilogrammes and costs roughly $13,500, is intended for research, teaching, and commercial usage. It has 23 degrees of freedom in the joints.

Watch Viral Video

Robot uprising also start small, maybe a slap here, a kick there. All to desensitize humans.pic.twitter.com/qpa8yfkIcF

— The Great Translation Movement 大翻译运动 (@TGTM_Official) March 22, 2026

How Did Netizens React?

The video sparked a quick reaction online. "What a dangerous performance," said one commenter. Another person mentioned that the youngster had seen it coming but couldn't get out of the path in time. A third person commented that being struck by metal is actually painful.

Some people expressed broad worries about public safety. One X user stated that a humanoid robot hitting a toddler demonstrated that such robots are far from ready for unsupervised public usage.

This is not the first safety incident utilising Unitree robots. Earlier this year, one of the company's robots accidently kicked a human operator. Earlier this month, authorities in Macau apprehended another Unitree robot after it terrified an elderly woman enough to necessitate hospitalisation. The occurrences have raised new concerns about what safeguards should be in place before humanoid robots are deployed in public settings.

Viral 'Neck-Hanging' Trend In China Sparks Fear As Experts Warn Of Serious Risks

Divya Danu — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:01:13 +0530

A new and unusual trend in China is gaining attention online and worrying many people. Young people are hanging themselves by their necks from trees in parks. They believe this helps reduce neck pain caused by conditions like cervical spondylosis. Videos of this 'neck-hanging exercise' have gone viral. Many users online have said they feel scared just watching it, according to South China Morning Post report.

What the exercise involves

The practice is meant to copy cervical traction therapy, a medical treatment used in hospitals. In this trend, a person ties a rope around their head and hangs from a tree branch, often with their feet off the ground. Some even swing slightly like a pendulum.

This idea is not completely new. It has been seen for years among older people in Chinese parks. Many elderly people believe it helps ease neck pain and improves blood flow.

Why people are trying it

Neck problems are common in China. According to the 2024 China Cervical Spine Health White Paper, more than 200 million people suffer from cervical spine disorders. Over 40 per cent of patients are under 30.

Because of this, many young people are now trying simple or home-based methods to find relief. Social media has also helped spread the trend quickly.

Experts warn of serious dangers

Doctors have strongly warned against trying this exercise without proper medical supervision. They say it is very different from real cervical traction therapy.

In hospitals, traction is carefully controlled. The force used is only about 10 to 15 per cent of a person’s body weight. Patients remain still, and doctors adjust the treatment based on each case.

In contrast, the viral exercise often uses full body weight. The body may also swing or twist, which increases the risk.

Shen Ya, a senior therapist, said such uncontrolled suspension can affect blood vessels and nerves. In mild cases, it may cause dizziness and nausea. In serious cases, it can lead to spinal cord injury or even paralysis.

Past incidents and public reaction

There have already been dangerous cases linked to this trend. A 57-year-old man died in 2024 while attempting a similar exercise, the South China Morning Post report added.

Online reactions show growing concern. One user said, “It is honestly terrifying. My blood freezes just watching it.” Another added that risking long-term health for short relief is not worth it.

Growing concern over risky trends

Experts say this trend shows how easily unsafe ideas can spread online. While people are looking for relief from pain, they may unknowingly put themselves at greater risk.

Doctors strongly advise that any treatment for neck problems should only be done under medical guidance.

China: Companies Using Smart Seats, WiFi Tracking to Monitor Employees

Gargi Chaudhry — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:55:37 +0530

Certain Chinese corporations have started watching their staff using Wi-Fi, cameras, and smart seating systems. An employee in Guangzhou discovered a camera above her desk after refusing a work trip due to illness, according to Worker's Daily. In January, she stated that her boss had warned her about utilising private group conversations during office hours. She then examined the camera's storage and discovered that it had captured text and photos from her phone and PC, according to SCMP.

In another occasion, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on a similar incident involving a tech business employee in Hangzhou. According to her, a manager expressed worry over her absence from her desk each morning between 10 a.m. and 10.30 a.m., and warned that her bonus may be impacted. The employee described the surveillance as "creepy and uncomfortable".

An advertising agency in Fuzhou reportedly curtailed restroom breaks, requiring employees to log in and out using fingerprint scans and fining anyone who over the time restriction.

Similar Instance Last Year

Last September, a start-up fired an employee called Wu for allegedly ignoring orders and slacking off. The form utilised CCTV video and his computer surfing history as evidence in court.

According to the logs, Wu grumbled about the employer on social media, browsed shopping websites, and read online books. Wu was astounded at the extent of monitoring. She asked the mainland magazine Vista: "Where exactly is the line between personal privacy and corporate management?"

As workplace surveillance becomes more prevalent, some Chinese workers are seeking for methods to fight back.

Chinese Workers Push Back

As workplace monitoring spreads, some Chinese workers are pushing back. Some have bought chat privacy software for 19.9 yuan, while others use 50 yuan screen protectors for phones and computers. Anti-tracking tools designed to block monitoring of browser activity are also gaining popularity. On mainland social media, posts sharing tips have proliferated, with related topics drawing more than 50 million views.

Meanwhile, analysts think Chinese legislation permits some kind of surveillance, particularly on work gadgets. Companies frequently defend monitoring as a means of safeguarding corporate secrets and mitigating internal dangers. In certain circumstances, courts have concluded that tracking surfing behaviour on workplace computers does not breach privacy because the machines are used for business.

However, legal experts warn that borders are still uncertain. Employees must be notified of surveillance techniques, and monitoring should not include private information irrelevant to work.

Pakistan Launches EO-3 Satellite, but 'First Image' Sparks Authenticity Debate

Anish Kumar — Sat, 02 May 2026 12:37:26 +0530

New Delhi: On April 25, social media feeds across Pakistan lit up with what users were calling a watershed moment. SUPARCO, the country's space agency, had just placed its EO-3 Earth observation satellite — the third and final unit in its PRSC-EO constellation — into orbit aboard a Chinese Long March 6 rocket from the Taiyuan launch centre.

BREAKINGPakistan successfully launches SUPARCO’s indigenous Electro-Optical Satellite “EO-3” from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. pic.twitter.com/huVUPxOhr7

— BBN (@BBN_Press) April 25, 2026

And now, Pakistanis were told, they were looking at the satellite's first photograph — a high-resolution aerial image of Karachi Port, crisp and detailed, offered as proof that Pakistan had crossed into serious spacefaring territory.

The celebrations lasted a few hours. Independent researchers cross-referencing the image against SUPARCO's own website noticed something that could not be easily explained away: the photograph carried a timestamp from months earlier in 2025, predating EO-3's launch by a considerable margin.

A likely fake SUPARCO Facebook page run by a malicious actor circulated doctored imagery suggesting they were linked to Pakistan’s recently launched EO-3 satellite, checks confirm images are outdated or manipulated however content has spread widely among unaware audiences pic.twitter.com/7f98T1R0PP

— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) April 30, 2026

The image that had been shared across thousands of accounts as a landmark achievement had, in all likelihood, nothing to do with the newly launched satellite. It was, at best, unverified archival imagery. At worst, it was a deliberate attempt to manufacture a moment that had not yet occurred.

What makes the episode significant is not just the error — institutions make errors — but where it sits in SUPARCO's longer history. This is not an agency encountering growing pains. It is an agency with a six-decade track record of substituting spectacle for substance, and the EO-3 photograph is simply the latest expression of an institutional habit that has never been corrected.

Pakistan's space programme began in 1961, making the country one of Asia's earliest entrants into the space age — SUPARCO pre-dated ISRO by eight years. That head start, over the following decades, was squandered with a consistency that borders on systematic.

The ITU allotted five slots to Pakistan in 1984, but Pakistan failed to launch any satellites until 1995, was granted an extension, and then failed again to meet the deadline, losing four of its prime geostationary orbital positions. Those positions are gone. They will not be returned.

SUPARCO's Badr-B launch

In 2001, SUPARCO launched Badr-B — also known as Badr-2 — with substantial domestic fanfare, describing it as a major milestone in Earth observation capability. It soon went out of control and was lost to space. There was no public post-mortem. The satellite was quietly dropped from official discourse, and the programme moved forward as if nothing had failed.

The pattern of overstating achievement reached perhaps its most brazen expression in 2002, when President Pervez Musharraf publicly declared Pakistan's space programme ahead of India's following the acquisition of Paksat-1. What Musharraf did not say — what emerged later — was that Paksat-1 was not a Pakistani satellite in any meaningful sense.

It was a satellite originally designed for Indonesia that, after a battery problem rendered it partially inoperable, was sold to Pakistan for around five million dollars and renamed Paksat-1. It had passed through multiple owners before arriving in Pakistani hands. Pakistan presented it to the nation and the world as a domestic achievement.

The EO-3 situation sits in this lineage. The satellite itself is genuine — SUPARCO states that EO-3 was fully designed, developed, and built at its Satellite Research and Development Centre, making it part of the first series of truly indigenous electro-optical satellites in Pakistan's history. SUPARCO has not publicly confirmed its precise resolution specifications, but it is intended for high-resolution imagery in support of agriculture, disaster management, urban planning, and national security applications.

But in an era where open-source intelligence analysts can trace image metadata, cross-reference timestamps, and publish findings within hours, this kind of fabrication does not survive. It gets caught. And when it gets caught, the legitimate achievement beneath it gets buried.

Pakistan successfully placed a satellite in orbit — the third in a functioning constellation that is already delivering remote sensing data. Instead of holding that headline, SUPARCO handed critics something far easier to write about. The agency has been doing this, in various forms, for decades.

The names and the satellites change. The instinct — to dress up reality rather than report it — has never been seriously examined, and, judging by this week's events, has never been changed.

Nepal's Hydropower Dream, China's Leverage: The Infrastructure Trap Tightening Around Kathmandu

Anish Kumar — Fri, 01 May 2026 16:19:14 +0530

New Delhi: Nepal runs on rivers. Roughly 6,000 of them, fed by Himalayan snowmelt, are capable of generating an estimated 83,000 megawatts of electricity by older technical assessments — with more recent government studies putting the economically viable figure closer to 42,000 to 72,000 megawatts, of which less than five per cent has been developed. That gap has long attracted foreign capital, and in recent years, no capital has arrived as consistently or as purposefully as China's.

China is now Nepal's largest source of approved foreign direct investment commitments.

The money flows into hydropower first, then roads, then manufacturing, all channelled through a framework Beijing calls the Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network. The name is bureaucratic, but the logic behind it is not.

Nepal's river

Nepal's rivers sit between two of Asia's most consequential powers. Whoever builds the infrastructure to move the water, the power, and the people controls something more valuable than the electricity itself.

Chinese firms have proposed and pursued projects across Nepal's river systems, including the West Seti hydropower scheme, a 750-megawatt storage project on the Seti River carrying a revised price tag of over two billion dollars, though China's own companies ultimately withdrew from that project in 2018, leaving it to be picked up by an Indian developer.

A series of cross-border road and rail connections, designed to link Kathmandu with Tibet, remains active. Construction on these corridors gives Chinese contractors years of presence on the ground, familiarity with terrain, and control over supply chains that Nepali firms rarely get access to.

China's money

The financing model is where the leverage enters. China lends through state-backed institutions at rates and on terms that are rarely made fully public.

Nepal's finance ministry has acknowledged growing repayment obligations without providing comprehensive figures for all BRI-related commitments.

Debt-to-GDP ratios tell part of the story, but the more immediate problem is structural — when a country owes money specifically to the party building its infrastructure, the creditor's willingness to be flexible on repayment is never far from the borrower's political calculations.

Sri Lanka learned this at Hambantota. Zambia learned it through Chinese-financed mining and infrastructure deals that left it unable to restructure debt without ceding further leverage to Beijing.

Nepal's situation is not identical to either, but the underlying geometry is familiar. A landlocked country with urgent development needs and limited domestic capital accepts investment that a wealthier or better-positioned government might scrutinise more carefully. The repayment clock starts. And then the conversations change.

Nepal's water is an asset. The Trans-Himalayan Connectivity Network is a frame for that asset's commercialisation, and China's consistent presence in that frame is neither accidental nor purely altruistic. The question Kathmandu has not yet been forced to answer publicly is what happens when the electricity deals, the road contracts and the loan repayment schedules all mature at the same time, and the counterparty on every line is Beijing.

For now, Nepal's government treats Chinese investment as a necessary supplement to domestic capital and Indian engagement. The dams get built, the roads get widened, and the numbers in the bilateral trade ledger grow. What grows alongside them, more quietly, is the list of things Nepal's government will find increasingly difficult to say no to.

How Chinese Cloud Helped Pakistan's ISI Spy On Indian Army Movements Using CCTV

Divya Danu — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:18:30 +0530

A major operation by the Delhi Police has uncovered an alleged espionage and terror network that used CCTV cameras to track sensitive military movements. The cameras, sources said, were powered by a Chinese system called EseeCloud. Security agencies believe this network was part of a larger plan linked to Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The aim was to monitor Indian Army and paramilitary movements in key areas.

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How the network was set up

The Special Cell of Delhi Police carried out two coordinated operations and arrested 11 people. Officials said the group was involved in espionage, arms smuggling and gathering information about defence sites.

The accused had installed solar-powered CCTV cameras in important locations. These cameras used SIM cards and could send live video footage directly to handlers based in Pakistan through mobile apps.

Where the cameras were placed

Police said the cameras were installed in areas with regular movement of security forces. These included Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Patiala and Moga in Punjab.

Other locations included Ambala in Haryana, Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, and Bikaner and Alwar in Rajasthan. These places are considered sensitive because they are close to borders, have army camps, or are used for troop movement.

Link to terror outfit

Investigators found links between the group and Babbar Khalsa International, a banned Khalistani terror organisation, according to India Today report.

Officials said the group was trying to build a network that could help in future attacks by giving real-time information about defence activities. This raised serious concerns for national security.

Also Read: Third Case Against Ashok Kharat: Court Grants Judicial Custody, Police Seek More Time

Similar cases found earlier

This is not the first such case. A similar module was recently uncovered in the Delhi-NCR region. In that case, the group planned to install cameras at around 50 locations, including railway stations and army routes.

At least two cameras were already working, one at Delhi Cantonment Railway Station and another at Sonipat Railway Station. The Sonipat camera had been sending live footage for more than two weeks before it was removed.

How the plan was exposed

The operation began after the BSF’s Punjab unit received information in January. A source inside Pakistan reportedly alerted officials about the plan to install surveillance cameras.

After this, Indian agencies began tracking the network and finally busted it through coordinated raids.

Also Read: Woman Dies By Suicide In Karnataka Village After Ex-Lover Shares Private Photos With Groom's Family

Why these cameras are a concern

Experts say such CCTV systems are dangerous because they are cheap, easy to install and difficult to trace. By using fake identities to get SIM cards, the accused could operate the cameras without raising suspicion.

The use of Chinese-linked systems has also raised concerns. Officials fear that such technology can be misused if it is not properly checked.

Link to earlier military operation

Sources as quoted by India Today, said that during Operation Sindoor, Pakistani intelligence tried to collect data about Indian convoys from toll plazas.

After losing some of their earlier methods, they may have turned to civilian CCTV systems to rebuild their surveillance network.

Also Read: Ghaziabad HORROR! 4-Year-Old Girl Raped and Killed, Body Found Under Car, Uncle On The Run

Action by security agencies

After the case came to light, security agencies have started checking CCTV systems more closely, especially in and around Delhi.

Government installations already follow a 'Made in India' rule for security equipment. However, officials are worried about private cameras installed near military areas that may use foreign technology.

Authorities are now reviewing both internal and external security systems. The focus is on making sure that no unauthorised cameras are operating near sensitive locations.

Investigations are still ongoing, and more details may come out in the coming days. Officials have said that strict action will be taken against anyone involved in such activities.

(With inputs from agencies)

Man Wearing Turban, Upside-Down Tricolour : Anti-Indian Taiwan Billboard Triggers Outrage (WATCH)

Divya Danu — Tue, 19 May 2026 14:42:51 +0530

A political billboard in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung city has sparked outrage after local candidate Lee Hung-yi appeared to campaign against Indians using imagery many called racist. The controversy comes amid debates over recruiting Indian migrant workers.

A controversial political billboard in Taiwan has triggered outrage online and raised concerns among Indian-origin residents after a local election candidate appeared to campaign against Indians using imagery many people described as racist and discriminatory.

The billboard was reportedly placed on Shanming Road in Kaohsiung’s Siaogang District and belongs to local council candidate Lee Hung-yi. The poster shows a crossed-out illustration of a brown-skinned man wearing a turban and facial hair, along with what appeared to be an upside-down Indian flag.

Lee Hung-yi, running for city council in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ran a “no” sign over a man with a turban and an Indian flag. Says he doesn’t like Indian labor.Indians are roaring, but Lee not backing down. No Indians! pic.twitter.com/NVrPo0nfkz

— Jared Taylor (@RealJarTaylor) May 14, 2026

Many social media users and residents interpreted the billboard as a direct message against Indians and migrant workers from India.

The incident has now become part of a wider debate in Taiwan over migrant labour, race, political campaigning and relations with India.

The visuals on the billboard shocked several members of Taiwan’s Indian community. Residents quoted in local reports said they felt uncomfortable, targeted and unwelcome after seeing the campaign material displayed publicly.

Some people described it as one of the most openly anti-Indian political displays they had ever seen in Taiwan.

The issue gained more attention after videos and pictures of the billboard went viral on social media platforms, where users from different countries shared sharply divided opinions.

Indians in Taiwan say racism is rising after a political candidate promised to BAN Indian workers from entering the country.One campaign poster reportedly showed a man in a turban alongside the Indian flag both crossed out with a giant ❌.As Taiwan faces labor shortages… pic.twitter.com/KzgAitqveX

— Sourabh (@vellasrv) May 19, 2026

While many condemned the billboard as racist and harmful, others defended the candidate’s right to oppose immigration policies.

The controversy quickly spread online, leading to thousands of comments and debates. Several users claimed the campaign reflected growing anti-Indian sentiment in parts of East Asia, while others argued it was linked more to local politics and labour concerns.

Some social media users alleged that the candidate was linked to pro-China politics and claimed the billboard was designed to favour Chinese migrants over Indian workers.

The Taiwanese are not particularly fond of Indians. One political candidate in Kaohsiung vows to ban Indians from immigrating. pic.twitter.com/bKrvIoXi0W

— Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) May 18, 2026

Others accused political groups of using fear and stereotypes to win support before local elections.

A number of comments openly mocked Indians or used insulting language, which further increased criticism of the campaign. At the same time, some users defended India and pointed out the close connections between Indians and Taiwanese living abroad, especially in places like the United States.

Other users argued that Taiwan should decide its own immigration policies without outside pressure, while some criticised racism and hate-based political messaging.

The online debate also included comments connecting the issue to wider tensions involving China and Taiwan.

The billboard controversy comes during a larger political debate in Taiwan over plans to recruit workers from India to help solve labour shortages.

In 2024, India and Taiwan signed a labour mobility agreement aimed at helping Taiwanese industries facing worker shortages. The agreement focused on bringing Indian workers into sectors where labour demand remains high.

However, the move has faced resistance from sections of the opposition, especially members of the Kuomintang or KMT.

Some opposition leaders raised concerns that migrant workers could leave contracts illegally or create social and public safety problems.

Certain lawmakers reportedly cited crime statistics from India while arguing against large-scale recruitment of Indian workers. Critics of these arguments say such statements unfairly stereotype an entire nationality and create fear.

Ruling party pushes back against anti-Indian messaging

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party or DPP strongly criticised messaging seen as targeting Indians.

Party leaders argued that Indian workers would follow the same laws and regulations that apply to all migrant workers in Taiwan.

DPP legislator Rosalia Wu reportedly warned that political leaders should not use populist campaigns to spread racial discrimination or fear against specific communities.

Supporters of the labour agreement also pointed out that Taiwan already employs workers from countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia in large numbers.

Some commentators argued that focusing only on Indian workers while ignoring workers from other nations raises questions about bias and selective targeting.

This is not the first time discussions around Indian workers have caused controversy in Taiwan.

Last year, comments by former labour minister Hsu Ming-chun created diplomatic discomfort after she reportedly suggested recruiting workers from India’s northeast because of “similar skin colour”.

The remarks triggered backlash both online and offline. Taiwan’s foreign ministry later apologised over the controversy.

The latest billboard dispute has once again brought attention to how migrant workers from India are being discussed in Taiwan’s political space.

No official response yet from India

So far, Ministry of External Affairs has not issued any official statement regarding the billboard controversy.

However, the issue has gained significant attention among Indian social media users, with many demanding that political leaders in Taiwan condemn the imagery and prevent racial targeting during election campaigns.

Some users also called for stronger diplomatic engagement between India and Taiwan to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Labour shortages remain a major issue in Taiwan

Taiwan continues to face labour shortages in several industries, especially manufacturing, healthcare and caregiving sectors.

Experts say migrant workers are important for supporting Taiwan’s economy and ageing population.

Supporters of the India-Taiwan labour agreement believe Indian workers can help meet labour demands while also improving economic ties between the two regions.

But critics fear that immigration changes could affect jobs, wages or public services, leading to political opposition.

The growing political fight over migrant workers has now expanded into a broader debate about race, identity and nationalism in Taiwan.

Who Truly Speaks For Global South? Global South Debate Grows As India, Brazil And China Shape Their Global Leadership Vision

Girish Linganna — Sun, 10 May 2026 14:44:02 +0530

These days, the words "Global South" are heard almost everywhere. World leaders use it in big international meetings, prime ministers mention it in their speeches, and even policy papers are full of it. The way people speak about it, you would think the Global South is like one big family of countries, all sitting together, all wanting the same things. But the real picture is not so simple.

In simple words, the Global South means the developing and poorer countries of the world, mostly in Asia, Africa and Latin America. These nations are not part of the rich Western club like America and Europe. The idea of these countries coming together and not depending on any one superpower sounds powerful, especially today when the world feels unstable, with wars, trade tensions and climate troubles all happening at once. But one important question is becoming louder day by day. Who actually speaks on behalf of the Global South?

In recent years, India has taken a strong step forward in playing this role. During its G20 presidency, India organised special meetings called "Voice of the Global South," where it invited many developing nations to share their problems. By doing this, India is showing that it wants to be a leader for these countries whose voices are often ignored in big global decisions. This is not just about India's own interests. It is about giving a platform to those countries who usually do not get a chair at the main table.

But India is not alone in this race. Brazil also wants to be seen as a major voice, especially on topics like fair development and climate justice. When global talks happen on money, environment and poverty, Brazil tries to speak for poorer nations. China is also doing the same thing but in its own style. It uses big infrastructure projects, loans, and groups like BRICS to build its image as a friend and leader of developing nations.

All three countries, India, Brazil and China, agree on one point. They believe the Global South can be led by a few major powers. But when we look closely, this belief becomes hard to accept fully. The reason is simple. The Global South is not one single group with one single opinion.

Unlike formal organisations such as the United Nations, the Global South has no office, no rulebook, and no proper system of representation. It is just a broad idea built on shared history, like the experience of colonialism, and political identity. The countries inside it have very different needs.

For some, the biggest worry is development, meaning better roads, jobs, money and access to technology. For others, the main concern is sovereignty, meaning the freedom to take their own decisions without pressure from big powers. This difference came out very clearly during the Russia-Ukraine war. Many Global South countries refused to pick a side. Some criticised Russia, but many stayed quiet because they needed cheap energy and trade ties. So if these countries cannot agree on one war, how can one nation claim to represent all of them?

Even during Cold War days, the Group of 77, which was an old version of this idea, was always divided. Today also, the meaning of Global South changes depending on who is using it. Indonesia uses it to talk about trade and regional growth. South Africa uses it to demand reforms in global institutions like the IMF and World Bank, where rich nations still hold most power. India uses it to push for fairness, while China uses it to challenge Western dominance.

This flexibility is exactly why the term has become so popular. Any country can fit its own meaning into it. But the same flexibility creates a big problem. If the Global South itself has no fixed boundary, then no single country can honestly claim to speak for everyone inside it.

Still, the idea matters. It gives weaker nations a common language to express their frustrations about inequality and unfair global rules. It sometimes helps them join hands on issues like climate finance and vaccine access.

But the truth is plain. Claiming to lead the Global South is much easier than actually representing it. The Global South is less like a united army and more like a noisy marketplace, where many voices are bargaining, competing, and shouting at the same time. And that reality is not going to change anytime soon.

(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views or stance of the organization. The organization assumes no responsibility for the content shared.

Why China's Military Restructure Is Challenging Global Arms Control Rules

Anish Kumar — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:03:12 +0530

New Delhi: When China dissolved the Strategic Support Force and created the Information Support Force in April 2024, it simultaneously restructured the PLA's entire service architecture around categories that existing arms control frameworks were never designed to cover.

The PLA now formally lists the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force as its four theater-grade services, with the Aerospace Force, Cyberspace Force, ISF, and Joint Logistics Support Force sitting below them as deputy-theater-grade arms directly subordinate to the Central Military Commission. The structural categories that most existing international treaties are built around do not map cleanly onto this new architecture.

'Brand-new strategic arm'

The official language used to describe the ISF reinforces the problem. A PLA spokesman characterised it as "a brand-new strategic arm of the PLA and a key underpinning of coordinated development and application of the network information system" - a phrase that sounds administrative rather than military. It describes an infrastructure function, which is substantially harder to classify as an offensive capability under international law than a new missile regiment or carrier strike group. The phrasing may be technically accurate and simultaneously misleading, which is precisely its utility.

Arms control verification depends on transparency: declared force sizes, identified capabilities, inspectable assets. The ISF's mandate spans satellite communications, AI-enabled command platforms, and network integration across services, while the separately constituted Cyberspace Force carries primary responsibility for offensive cyber operations and computer network attack. Both sit under a broader organisational umbrella that covers civilian technology transfer through military-civil fusion. No existing treaty framework was built to cover that combination simultaneously, and Beijing has not volunteered any clarification.

Xi Jinping's December 4, 2024 inspection of the ISF, reported by Xinhua, confirmed its domestic political importance without addressing its external military role. The visit generated significant coverage inside China, framing the force as a modernisation achievement, with Xi calling for leapfrog development of the PLA's network information system. Its actual capabilities, operational chain of command, and relationship to the Cyberspace Force's offensive operations were not disclosed to international observers and have not been since.

What research bodies say?

SIPRI and comparable research bodies have identified this as a structurally difficult monitoring problem. Cyber capabilities are not visible the way armoured divisions or carrier groups are. AI systems do not carry serial numbers that can be counted.

Quantum cryptography programmes exist inside national laboratory systems with civilian as well as military applications.

Monitoring any one of these in isolation is already difficult; monitoring all of them in a country that treats military-civil fusion as a stated national strategy borders on impossible under current verification frameworks.

The ISF's creation drew considerable international attention in 2024, but the ambiguity surrounding its purpose has made it difficult to characterise conclusively in policy discussions. That ambiguity is its own form of strategic utility. The harder verification challenge may lie not with the ISF's labelling but with the structural decision to constitute offensive cyber as its own independent arm - the Cyberspace Force - equally opaque and equally outside existing treaty definitions.

Together, the two forces conduct functions that Beijing has no obligation to declare, in domains that no current verification regime can monitor, under organisational labels that provide no foothold for negotiated constraint.

Viral Alert! China Woman Takes 5-Hour Nap at Work Over Low Salary, Internet Reacts

Gargi Chaudhry — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:55:45 +0530

A woman became viral in China after taking a five-hour sleep at work as a form of protest—and then posting an emotional video online after being chastised for it. According to the South China Morning Post, the anonymous lady stated in her video that her manager had threatened to terminate her if she slept at work again. However, she stated that she was concerned about her low pay and opted to take a sleep at work.

According to reports, the woman works for a firm in Shangqiu, Henan Province, China. She stated that she was dissatisfied with her low wage and resolved to work harder to compensate by sleeping at her desk. When her supervisor threatened to fire her for taking a five-hour nap, the lady stated she felt mistreated by him. She responded to her manager’s threats to sack her in an online video where she said, “I will not leave. I will make him understand the concept of what you get is what you pay for.”

Another twist was added to the story when the manager noticed the woman had grabbed a chocolate from his desk after waking up. The boss, who has glucopenia, nearly fainted in the workplace as his blood sugar dipped dangerously low. Glucopenia is defined as an unusually low concentration of glucose in the circulating blood.

“My boss became enraged. He said I meant to kill him. He gave me a warning, threatening to fire me,” the woman said in the video. “For those who criticise me, you do not understand people like me who have such a low salary,” she added.

How Did Netizens React?

Internet users were astounded by the woman's blatant deed and subsequent confession.

"Any boss would not tolerate such an employee," one individual wrote. "My God, I did not expect that one day I would support a boss, ha," another said.

Some compared her act of resistance to silent resigning, a practice in which employees coast along by completing the bare minimum at work. Instead of resigning openly, overworked and burned-out employees opt to disconnect and withdraw from full engagement.

Another person wrote, “The Labour Law stipulates that a worker works eight hours a day. So, deducting five hours for nap, time for lunch and going to the toilet, you have less than two hours for sitting in front of your desk to work.”

Another said, “Set an alarm before you take a nap next time, so you will not miss the time to get off duty.”

Viral Alert | Chinese School Uses Dolls To Teach Rebellious Students Empathy, Internet Divided

Gargi Chaudhry — Wed, 13 May 2026 14:13:25 +0530

A special education institute in eastern China that targets “problematic” teenagers has sparked controversy for allowing its students to carry toy dolls throughout the school day as part of gratitude lessons. The school accepts adolescent students who exhibit rebellious behaviour, lack motivation for studying, are addicted to online games, or display a fiery temper and early dating tendencies. Videos of students carrying toy dolls on their backs during classes and nestling them in their arms during lunch have recently gone viral on social media, according to Huashang News.

In Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, Yuanzhong Special Education School admits teenage students who are rebellious, unmotivated to learn, addicted to internet gaming, or who have a fiery temper and early dating tendencies. According to the Huashang News, footage of kids holding toy dolls in their arms at lunch and carrying them on their backs throughout class have recently gone viral on social media.

Another widely shared video has pupils crouching and walking while holding their 2.5 kilogram dolls to mimic the experience of parents training young children to walk.

A special education school in China has gone viral after making "rebellious" teenagers carry baby dolls for a week to teach them gratitude and help them understand the challenges faced by parents. pic.twitter.com/ZTqYnFKte0

— Namit (@NamitGusain23) May 13, 2026

“My legs felt numb after walking for 1 km this way. Now I understand the hardships my parents endure,” commented an unnamed student featured in the report. The school’s principal, who is known by the surname Du, explained that since their students are generally rebellious, the institution aims to implement gratitude education through unique methods.

"We encourage them to understand the challenges a mother faces during pregnancy and to experience caring for a 'baby,'" Du said. “Our hope is that students will come to appreciate their parents’ kindness, leading to a shift in their outlook on life. Moreover, our educational approach is well-regarded by parents,” he added.

Social Media Reactions

This unconventional teaching method has elicited mixed reactions on mainland social media. “It will be beneficial in teaching students to be more careful and patient,” one internet user observed.

Another person humorously commented: “These babies are too quiet. They should be crying and needing to be changed frequently – that is what a real baby does!”

“Years later, when they reflect on this experience, they might decide against having children,” commented one online observer.

These centres typically charge fees ranging from 8,000 to 20,000 yuan (US$1,200 to US$2,900) per month, employing an enclosed and military-style management approach.

Birthright Citizenship Row: Donald Trump Reposts 'India, China Hellhole' Slur; Sparks Fury

Divya Danu — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:18:11 +0530

Donald Trump is facing strong criticism after sharing a controversial post on his social media platform, Truth Social. The post included remarks describing countries like India and China as 'hell-holes'. The comments were originally made by Michael Savage, a political commentator, during his podcast Savage Nation. Trump reposted both the video and a written transcript, bringing the remarks to a much wider audience.

The incident has sparked anger online and raised concerns about its impact on international relations, especially with countries like India, which is a key partner of the United States.

What the controversial post said

In the reposted content, Savage criticised the idea of birthright citizenship in the United States. This is a law that gives automatic citizenship to anyone born in the country.

While arguing against this policy, Savage used harsh and offensive language. He claimed that people from countries like India and China come to the US to have children so they can gain citizenship.

He wrote that a baby born in the US becomes an 'instant citizen', and then families move from “China, or India, or some other hell-hole on the planet”.

He also made other claims about immigrants, calling some of them “gangsters with laptops” and accusing them of harming the US economy. These statements were widely criticised as racist and unsupported by evidence.

Why Trump shared the post

Trump reposted the content just a day after speaking about birthright citizenship in an interview with CNBC. In that interview, he claimed that the US is the only country that offers such a system.

However, this claim is incorrect. Around three dozen countries, including Canada and Mexico, also provide automatic citizenship to people born on their land.

By sharing Savage’s views, Trump appeared to support calls for changing the current law in the US.

What is birthright citizenship

Birthright citizenship in the United States is based on the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. This amendment says that anyone born in the US is a citizen.

This rule has been in place for more than a century and is seen as a key part of American law.

Critics like Trump argue that the system is being misused. They claim some people travel to the US late in pregnancy to ensure their child becomes a citizen. This practice is often called “birth tourism”.

Supporters of the law say it protects basic rights and prevents discrimination.

Trump’s push to change the law

Trump has long opposed birthright citizenship. After returning to office in 2025, he signed an executive order to limit automatic citizenship in certain cases.

However, many legal experts believe such changes may not be valid without altering the Constitution.

The issue is now being reviewed by the US Supreme Court. The court recently heard arguments in a case challenging Trump’s order.

Trump has said that if the court rules against him, it would harm the country financially and affect its “dignity”.

Attacks on rights groups

In the same post, Trump also criticised the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He called the group “criminal” and suggested action against it under strict laws used for organised crime.

The ACLU is known for defending civil rights such as free speech, voting rights, and equality. It often challenges government policies in court, especially on immigration issues.

Trump’s comments against the organisation have added to the controversy.

Claims about jobs and immigration

The repost also included claims that immigrants from India and China dominate jobs in the technology sector, especially in California.

Savage suggested that this limits opportunities for others. However, no clear evidence was provided to support these claims.

Experts say the US job market is complex and shaped by many factors, including education, skills, and global demand.

Political and public reaction

The remarks have drawn criticism from many people online. Some users said the language used was offensive and harmful. There are also concerns about how such statements could affect ties between the US and countries like India and China.

President Donald Trump just called our INDIA a "hellhole" & Indian and Chinese immigrants as "gangsters with laptops" who have "stepped on our flag" . Sick to the core! Enough of this ..seriously! pic.twitter.com/CbFK7bpvSt

— Tehseen Poonawalla Official (@tehseenp) April 23, 2026

TRUMP CALLS INDIA A HELL HOLE. BREAKING: Donald Trump reposts a letter referring to India and others as “hellholes” “A baby here becomes an instant citizen and then they bring in their entire family from China, or India or some other hellhole on the planet.”Indians are… pic.twitter.com/CZlk8eLOle

— Danish Nawaz (@DanishNawaz2773) April 23, 2026

By reposting that hellhole slur, trump has officially traded his Namaste for a knife in the back, proving he’s a desperate hypocrite who fears Indian success more than he respects the global partnership he once begged forhttps://t.co/eVxJkTmKZg

— The Sacred Scroll (@SacredScroll) April 23, 2026

Trump reposting Michael Savage calling #India a hellhole. Enough is Enough. #DonaldTrump #DumpTrump pic.twitter.com/sB1rH59uBi

— Rajpal Singh Shekhawat (@Rajpal_BJP) April 23, 2026

India, in particular, is an important strategic partner for the US in areas like trade, defence and technology. Strong language against such countries can create tension.

This issue is not just about one post. It reflects a larger debate in the US about immigration, identity, and law.

Supporters of Trump say stricter rules are needed to control immigration. Critics argue that such views can divide society and spread misinformation.

The final decision on birthright citizenship will likely come from the Supreme Court. Until then, the debate is expected to continue.

Viral Alert | Marriage Meets WWE: Chinese Couple Settles Housework Debate With Wrestling Match

Gargi Chaudhry — Mon, 18 May 2026 10:10:31 +0530

A couple in southwest China decided to celebrate their marriage in a novel way by turning it into a professional wrestling bout, with the loser agreeing to perform housework for the rest of their lives. Professional wrestling is a staged fighting show, in contrast to traditional competitive sports. He Yinsheng, a professional wrestler from Zunyi in Guizhou province, and his spouse planned the event in early May at a nearby hotel. The couple built up a wrestling ring in lieu of a conventional wedding stage. A dramatic poster captioned "Groom vs. Bride" was shown on a big screen.

In a best-of-three match, the newlyweds headed their respective teams. A straightforward rule governing the game was that the losing team would be responsible for doing housework. A variety of high-impact techniques, including as body smashes, takedowns, and close-quarters grappling, were performed by the performers who entered the ring first. Visitors kept a careful eye on the event, with a few kids standing with bowls in their hands.

The bride and groom entered the ring as the festivities came to an end. The bride swiftly gained command of the match with the crowd's support. She deflected the groom's blows and used a shoulder throw to bring him down. She was pronounced the winner by the referee, who also said she would never have to do housekeeping again.

The performance kept the audience interested throughout, even though the routine had been scripted and practiced beforehand. According to He Yinsheng, every performer had received professional training, and the show's safety was the first concern. He continued by saying that because he could not let his wife handle chores, he ultimately had to lose.

He said that when he noticed the budget was exceeding expectations during wedding preparation, the thought struck him. He chose to arrange a wrestling contest rather of paying singers and dancers. Although both families acknowledged that they did not entirely comprehend the couple's decision, his wife endorsed the concept.

The couple did not share details about how they met. He said that the wedding included food and entertainment, which made guests happy to attend, and nearly 300 people came, exceeding their expectations. Additionally, he expressed optimism that the event will help spread awareness of China's professional wrestling industry, which is still a tiny subculture often seen in places like pubs, beer festivals, and yearly corporate events.

China’s AI Restaurant Scans Faces, Tongues to Serve ‘Perfect’ Meal: Report

Gargi Chaudhry — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:05:56 +0530

Several restaurants in eastern China are deploying artificial intelligence (AI) robots to cook up to 100 meals to save money, generating a heated debate on social media. Zhejiang TV stated that at least three such eateries had been open in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, for months. According to South China Morning Post, one of them, 24 Jieqi Robot Restaurant in the Xihu district, employs eight robots to handle ordering, serving, cleaning, and cooking. According to the research, they share 60% of kitchen staff' entire workload.

Before customers place orders, the robots do a "AI analysis" by scanning their faces and tongues and prompting them to answer a basic questionnaire. The robots then generate a report on the customer's lifestyle, emotions, and digestive condition before offering seasonal health-focused foods.

According to the restaurant's manager, Cai Haitang, the robots can prepare over 100 meals, including Three Cup Chicken, which is stewed chicken with three cups of important sauces, Crab Roe Tofu, and Braised Pork Trotter.

Some robots are also capable of creating Pian Er Chuan, a Hangzhou speciality soup noodle with preserved veggies, sliced pork and bamboo shoots.

Zhu Qi, an engineer who created the culinary robots, explained that they retain data on stove fire settings from human chefs' work and emulate the chefs' moves for stir-frying and turning the pot. As a consequence, Zhu believes that robot chefs will be able to standardise the quality of the cuisines they make. Deng Xuhui, a chef at Madayunhe Community Canteen in Gongshu District, says he used to have to make dozens of meals during peak hours every day.

However, since they began employing the robots, his employment has primarily involved manipulating two of them.

A 70-year-old man and his wife, who frequent this canteen, were astonished to learn that their meals are made by robots. "The foods taste no different than those cooked by humans. They are neither salty nor oily. It's just what we senior citizens enjoy," remarked the guy, surname Yu.

He also stated that the use of robots has resulted in lower meal prices at the restaurant. Such robots are generally used to cook fast food, group meals and spicy Hunan cuisine and Sichuan cuisine. Such AI robot restaurants are becoming popular in China. But it has left the online community divided.

Global Military Spending Explodes to $2.9 Trillion Amid Wars: What Is the World Preparing For?

Asianet Newsable English — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:01:11 +0530

Global military spending reached nearly $2.9 trillion in 2025, marking an 11th consecutive year of growth, researchers said Monday, as insecurity and rearmament fuelled defence budgets.

The three top spenders -- the United States, China and Russia -- spent a combined total of $1.48 trillion, just over half of global expenditure.

Spending rose by 2.9 percent compared with 2024, despite a reduction by the US, the world's biggest spender, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Researcher Lorenzo Scarazzato told AFP the decrease from the US was more than offset by increases in Europe and Asia, as the world marked "another year of wars and increased tensions".

Scarazzato said this was also reflected in the global "military burden" -- the share of worldwide GDP devoted to military spending -- which reached its highest level since 2009.

"Everything points to a world that feels less secure and is spending on its military to compensate for the global landscape," he said.

The US spent $954 billion, 7.5 percent less than in 2024, largely because no new financial military aid to Ukraine was approved. By contrast, Washinhton pledged a total of $127 billion to Kyiv over the previous three years.

But the decrease is expected to be short-lived as the US Congress has approved spending of over $1 trillion for 2026, which could rise to $1.5 trillion in 2027 if US President Donald Trump's budget proposal passes.

The main driver of the global increase was Europe -- including Russia and Ukraine -- where spending surged 14 percent to $864 billion.

"That is driven by two major factors. One is the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the other is the decreased US engagement with Europe," Scarazzato said.

He explained that the US is "pushing for Europe to take more care of its own defence".

Germany, the fourth-largest spender, raised expenditure by 24 percent in 2025 to $114 billion.

Spain also recorded a 50 percent jump to $40.2 billion, pushing military spending above two percent of GDP for the first time since 1994.

Middle East tensions

The ongoing war in Ukraine saw both Russia and Ukraine increase their military spending, with each recording the highest share of government spending allocated to the military.

Russia's spending rose 5.9 percent to $190 billion, equivalent to 7.5 percent of GDP.

Ukraine meanwhile boosted spending by 20 percent to $84.1 billion -- a staggering 40 percent of GDP.

Despite persistent tensions in the Middle East, expenditure in the region rose only marginally, by 0.1 percent, to $218 billion.

While most countries in the region increased spending, Israel and Iran actually recorded declines.

In Iran, it fell 5.6 percent to $7.4 billion, but this was mostly due to high annual inflation of 42 percent. In nominal terms, spending actually rose.

Israel's 4.9 percent drop to $48.3 billion reflected a reduced intensity in the Gaza war after a January 2025 ceasefire deal, the researchers explained, while noting Israeli spending was still 97 percent higher than in 2022.

In Asia and Oceania, spending reached $681 billion, an 8.5 percent increase from 2024 -- the region's largest annual increase since 2009.

Scarazzato said the "major player" in the region was China, which has been increasing spending every year for the past three decades, and spent an estimated $336 billion in 2025.

"But perhaps what's interesting is the reaction of some other states, such as South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, reacting to the threat perception," he said.

Japan raised military expenditure by 9.7 percent, to $62.2 billion in 2025, equivalent to 1.4 percent of GDP -- its highest share since 1958 -- while Taiwan increased its spending by 14 percent to $18.2 billion.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

China denies military aid to Iran, threatens US with countermeasures

Asianet News Central — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:01:10 +0530

China Denies Iran Military Aid, Warns US

Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Lin Jian on Wednesday busted media reports saying that China is providing military aid to Iran. Lin said that if the US tariffs China on the basis of these reports, China will take countermeasures.

In a post on X, he said, "Media reports accusing China of providing military support to Iran are purely fabricated. If the U.S. goes ahead with tariff hikes on China on the basis of these accusations, China will respond with countermeasures." Media reports accusing China of providing military support to Iran are purely fabricated. If the U.S. goes ahead with tariff hikes on China on the basis of these accusations, China will respond with countermeasures. pic.twitter.com/QwETjpJEyY — Lin Jian 林剑 (@SpoxCHN_LinJian) April 15, 2026

Trump Responds, Warns Beijing

Earlier on Monday (local time), US President Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has not reached out to him yet, but he would like to see the war ended. Talking to reporters while receiving a DoorDash delivery at the Oval Office, Trump said, "No, but we have a very good relationship with China. He would like to see this ended also. He certainly wants it ended. Everyone, I want to see it ended too, but we can't give a nuclear weapon to a group of people that have caused nothing but havoc for 47 years."

Responding to a question from CNN regarding US intelligence inputs and possible communication with the Chinese leadership, Trump clarified that he had not directly spoken to Xi on the matter, but cautioned that Beijing would face consequences if it extended military support to Tehran. "If China does that, China will have big problems, OK?" Trump said.

Trump-Xi Meeting Rescheduled

Amid these developments, Trump confirmed that his previously postponed visit to China has been rescheduled for next month. In a detailed post on Truth Social, Trump confirmed the revised schedule and outlined plans for reciprocal diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beijing. "My meeting with the Highly Respected President of China, President Xi Jinping, which was originally postponed due to our Military operation in Iran, has been rescheduled and will take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th. First Lady Melania and I will also host President Xi and Madame Peng for a reciprocal visit in Washington, D.C., at a later date this year," he stated. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)