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NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Chinese Woman Sells Sons To Tip Live-Streaming Hosts, Buy Clothes
A 26-year-old mother from China has confessed to selling her two biological sons for a total of about $11,600, approximately Rs 10 lakh. The woman, Huang, from Guangxi province, used the money to buy clothes and upscale goods, as well as to fund tips for live-streaming hosts, the South China Morning Post reported. She has been sentenced to over five years in prison. Huang, who was adopted as a child and only completed basic school, first sold her son to a relative, Li, in October 2020 for 45,000 yuan, approximately Rs 5 lakh. She was unable to raise him due to financial difficulties and due to not knowing who the father was. Li's family sought adoption due to infertility issues, and Huang allegedly used the entire amount to give generously to live-streamers online, according to the SCMP report. Officials claimed Huang purposefully had a second child in 2022 to repeat the pattern when the cash ran out. She paid a broker 38,000 Yuan (Rs 4.5 lakh) for her newborn son, Guyu. The broker then sold him for 103,000 Yuan, approximately Rs 12 lakh. Huang allegedly used all the money earned for self-indulgent expenditures and virtual tipping. The boys were rescued in April 2022 after authorities received a notification over dubious chat logs that described the children's sale. Following their rescue, the two boys were taken into the custody of the local civil affairs authorities and are currently awaiting adoption. On July 8, 2025, the Fuzhou Jin'an District People's Court found Huang guilty of fraud and trafficking and sentenced her to five years and two months in prison. She was also fined 30,000 Yuan (approximately Rs 3 lakh). Huang's accomplices, Li and her former landlord, Wei, were also sentenced to prison: Wei was given a seven-month prison sentence, and Li was handed a nine-month sentence with a one-year suspension for buying a trafficked child. Human trafficking, particularly involving children, is a recurring problem throughout China, according to experts. Social pressures to carry on the male lineage have long motivated illegal adoptions, but current anti-trafficking laws are a step towards eradicating this scourge.
Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Indian Express
Shanghai woman spends over Rs 2.3 crore on online shopping, rents extra flat to store parcels
A 66-year-old woman in Shanghai has spent more than 2 million yuan (around Rs 2.3 crore) on online shopping in recent years, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The woman, known only by her surname Wang, lives alone in a flat in Jiading district. Her home is filled with unopened packages, stacked so high that she says she has no space left to sleep. Speaking to SCMP, Wang said her shopping gives her a feeling of excitement. 'I feel excited when I buy things online,' she said. She mostly shops during livestreaming sessions, often buying cosmetics, health supplements, and gold jewellery. Wang also said she spends on purpose to stop others from asking her for money. 'To prevent other people from borrowing money from me, I choose to spend it buying things,' she said. 'When they see piles of stuff in my home, they will feel it is not appropriate to ask me to lend them money.' When her main flat could no longer hold the items, Wang bought a second flat in the same area. She also uses her underground garage for storage and has rented another flat to store more packages, according to SCMP. Neighbours have raised complaints about the situation, saying there is a bad smell, and they often see cockroaches and flies near her home. A local residential committee official said Wang's daughter lives abroad and her relatives rarely visit. The official said the committee tried to involve her family last year and organised a clean-up after getting Wang's permission. 'We hoped her relatives could help her change,' the official told SCMP. 'But she continued hoarding.' Psychiatrist Shi Yanfeng, based in Shanghai, said hoarding is often a sign of deeper issues like depression or social anxiety. 'Hoarding is not just about clutter,' said Yan Feng of the Shanghai Mental Health Centre. 'It usually reflects a long-term mental health issue that needs regular care.' The story has gone viral on Chinese social media. One person commented, 'The root of her problem is loneliness.' Another added, 'Young people should care more about elderly members of their family.' Wang continues to live on her own, surrounded by goods she never opens, in homes full of unopened parcels worth crores.
Bangkok Post
16 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Chinese man arrested for secretly filming sex acts with hundreds of men
CHINA - A 38-year-old man in Nanjing has been arrested for allegedly disguising himself as a woman to lure over 1,600 men into sexual encounters, which he secretly recorded and distributed online. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, local police detained the suspect on July 5 on charges of disseminating pornographic content. He had gained notoriety on Chinese social media under the alias 'Uncle Red', while Thai users referred to him as 'Sister Hong' due to the name used on his online profiles. Authorities say the man regularly wore heavy makeup, wigs, and long skirts to assume a female identity, luring unsuspecting men to his private residence. Once there, he allegedly installed hidden cameras to film the encounters without the victims' consent. In some cases, he also manipulated his voice to resemble that of a woman. These videos were then uploaded to private groups online, where users reportedly paid a subscription fee of 150 yuan (approximately 680 Thai baht) for access. The suspect claimed to have filmed sexual activity with more than 1,600 individuals. However, police suspect this figure may have been exaggerated. Some victims discovered the leaked footage and filed reports with authorities. While the perpetrator reportedly did not demand money from his victims directly, he would ask for small tokens such as milk, fruit, or even cooking oil. The case has sparked outrage across Chinese social media platforms. Despite police warnings against sharing the explicit material, many victims' faces continue to circulate online, with reports that several were identified by friends, family, or even fiancées. In response to growing public concern, Nanjing's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention announced it would offer health screenings to those affected, although it declined to confirm whether the suspect carried any sexually transmitted infections, citing privacy laws. Under Chinese law, the distribution of pornographic materials carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. The suspect may also face additional charges for violating the privacy and image rights of the individuals involved.
Saudi Gazette
20 hours ago
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Housing-starved Hong Kong turns Covid quarantine site into hostel
SINGAPORE — Once designated a quarantine facility during the Covid pandemic, a sprawling site in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong, is set to be home to a youth hostel for thousands of young people, as the city deals with a housing crisis. The project in Kai Tak, named Runway 1331 - after a former airport on the site - opened on Sunday for trial operations, offering 250 rooms for rent starting at HK$200 ($25; £19) a night. It's part of Hong Kong's Youth Hostel Scheme, which aims to house young people at affordable rates while they save up to rent or buy their own place. Houses in Hong Kong are among the most expensive in the world - and notoriously small. With waits for public rental flats lasting five years on average, many opt to rent subdivided flats where dozens of tenants are packed into a single apartment unit, also known as "coffin homes". In 2020, the first facility under Hong Kong's Youth Hostel Scheme started operations. The scheme supports non-governmental organisations to build and operate youth hostels where people can live for up to five are currently two facilities in operation - both in the northwestern New Territories - which offer rooms to people aged 30 or hostel unveiled in Kai Tak on Sunday offers rooms for people aged 40 or below. It also aims to be a cultural hub, with some rent-free rooms set aside for tenants with creative tenants are expected to give back to the community by organising workshops and other events to share their skills, according to local media."We hope Runway 1331 ultimately will develop into the world's biggest incubator for the youth," said entrepreneur Winnie Chiu Wing-kwan, who is developing the project with a state-owned enterprise, the South China Morning Post Home and Youth Affairs Bureau said it hoped the community would also promote exchanges among Hong Kong tenants and youth from mainland China and 11.5-hectare (28.4 acres) site, which consists of 3,000 unused quarantine rooms with private toilets, is expected to be fully operational later this had been calls for such Covid quarantine facilities to be repurposed to fill the intense housing facility in Kai Tak is one of several quarantine sites that were built during the pandemic, and which could collectively house hundreds of thousands of Covid restrictions lifted and these facilities emptied, calls mounted for them to be repurposed into residences to combat the city's yearslong housing shortage. — BBC
Gulf Insider
20 hours ago
- Science
- Gulf Insider
China Warns of Rogue Robot Troops Unleashing
Concerns are mounting in China as the Communist superpower advances humanoid robot development to replace human soldiers on the battlefield, prompting calls for 'ethical and legal research' into this Terminator-like technology to 'avoid moral pitfalls.' An op-ed published by Yuan Yi, Ma Ye and Yue Shiguang in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily warned that faulty robots could lead to 'indiscriminate killings and accidental death,' which would 'inevitably result in legal charges and moral condemnation.' The South China Morning Post reports: The authors cited American science fiction writer Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, a set of principles that have influenced discussions about the ethics of real-world applications in the field. The authors said that militarised humanoid robots 'clearly violate' the first of Asimov's laws, which states that a robot 'may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm'. They added that Asimov's laws needed to be overhauled in the light of these developments. They also highlighted legal implications, saying that humanoid robots in military scenarios should comply with the main principles of the laws of war by 'obeying humans', 'respecting humans' and 'protecting humans'. The authors emphasized that robots must be designed with constraints to 'suspend and limit excessive use of force in a timely manner and not indiscriminately kill people.' Additionally, the trio cautioned against hastily replacing humans with robots, noting that robots still lack essential capabilities such as speed, dexterity, and the ability to navigate complex terrains. 'Even if humanoid robots become mature and widely used in the future, they will not completely replace other unmanned systems,' the article said. Concurrently, the U.S. Army is intensifying efforts to integrate robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems, aiming to enhance human-machine collaboration between soldiers and advanced robots on the battlefield, according to Interesting Engineering. Scientists at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) are pioneering advancements in ground and aerial autonomous systems, as well as energy solutions, to bolster the mobility and maneuverability of these technologies, the technology website reports. 'We are bridging the gap between humans and robots, making them more intuitive, responsive, and, ultimately, more useful for the Soldier,' said a lead researcher for the Artificial Intelligence for Maneuver and Mobility program. 'ARL researchers have demonstrated an interactive bi-directional communication system that enables real-time exchanges between humans and robots.' And of course (CGI): Also read: China And India Drive Global Demand For Air Conditioning
