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The Star
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
China's Victory Day rehearsal leaks show stealth jets, massive air formations
Videos circulating on Chinese social media that appear to show rehearsals for a major military parade are providing an early glimpse of the scale and symbolism expected when China marks the 80th anniversary of its Victory Day in September. On Wednesday, a clip posted to the Instagram-like platform RedNote – also known as Xiaohongshu – showed at least 45 People's Liberation Army helicopters flying in formation. The aircraft formed ceremonial patterns, including a heart, the numbers '8' and '0', and also flew in groups of three, with each carrying red flags representing the Communist Party, the nation and the PLA. This was taken by many as a clear reference to the coming anniversary on September 3. A similar aerial flag guard formation opened the Victory Day parade over Tiananmen Square a decade ago. It commemorated the 70th anniversary of China's victory in World War II, officially termed the 'Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War'. Also on Wednesday, more images– including high-definition photos purportedly showing China's J-35 stealth jets with the serial numbers 3501, 3505, and 3506 – emerged on the platforms Weibo and X. The fighters were pictured flying in formation with several J-15T carrier-based fighter jets, hinting at their potential inclusion in the coming parade, according to the social media user who posted the images. These sightings, some dating back to April, underscore the increasing public visibility of parade preparations and widespread anticipation surrounding the national event. The frequency of such rehearsal video posts intensified in May. They prominently featured military aircraft formations, including J-20 stealth fighters, H-6N bombers, KJ-600 early-warning aircraft, Y-20 tankers, and helicopters forming the number '8'. Videos and photos of tanks moving in formation and of marching drills have also surfaced online, suggesting intensive training is under way for the ground contingents – including military vehicles and equipment. They are expected to march along Beijing's Changan Avenue, as in the 2015 parade. The South China Morning Post first reported on preparations for the rare parade in February. President Xi Jinping officially confirmed this year's parade when he met his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Beijing on June 4. According to BelTa, the official news agency of Belarus, Xi invited Lukashenko to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and a parade in Beijing between late August and early September. 'A SCO summit will take place in Tianjin at the end of August. A little later, on September 3, we will hold a parade to celebrate the victory of the global fight against fascism. I invite you to attend and will be glad to see you there,' Xi was quoted as saying by BelTA, marking the first time the Chinese leadership had publicly acknowledged plans for the parade. Other heads of state expected to attend the SCO summit in the city near Beijing include Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was likely to be present at the parade, diplomatic sources earlier told the Post. This parade will be only the second time that China has specifically commemorated victory over Japan with such an event. The 2015 event under Xi was the first high-profile military parade dedicated to Victory Day, rather than China's National Day on October 1. Traditionally, China's largest military displays were held on National Day every 10 years, making the September 3 event a relatively recent but significant addition to China's commemorative calendar. The exact scale of the 2025 parade remains undisclosed. The 2015 Victory Day parade featured 12,000 PLA troops, over 500 vehicles, nearly 200 aircraft, and more than 1,000 foreign troops from 17 countries. The coming parade could also serve as a platform for China to counter perceived US-led Western influence, reinforcing narratives on defending the post-World War II global order against 'hegemony' and 'unilateralism', themes Xi articulated in an article for Russian state media during his visit to Moscow for Russia's Victory Day parade last month. The 2015 event was a major showcase for the PLA's modernisation, with an estimated 84 per cent of the equipment newly introduced since the 2009 National Day parade. This included the public debut of the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, a weapon system explicitly designed to function as a carrier killer and counter American naval power in the Western Pacific. There is heightened anticipation of potential new weapons being unveiled in this year's parade as well. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Business Times
09-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Xiaohongshu joins wave of Chinese firms releasing open-source AI models
[BEIJING] Xiaohongshu, also known as Rednote, one of the country's most popular social media platforms, has released an open-source large language model, joining a wave of Chinese tech firms making their artificial intelligence models freely available. The approach contrasts with many US tech giants like OpenAI and Google, which have kept their most advanced models proprietary, though some American firms including Meta have also released open-source models. Open sourcing allows Chinese companies to demonstrate their technological capabilities, build developer communities and spread influence globally at a time when the US has sought to stymie China's tech progress with export restrictions on advanced semiconductors. Xiaohongshu's model, called is available for download on developer platform Hugging Face. A company technical paper describing it was uploaded on Friday (Jun 6). In coding tasks, the model performs comparably to Alibaba's Qwen 2.5 series, though it trails more advanced models such as DeepSeek-V3, the technical paper said. Xiaohongshu is an Instagram-like platform where users share photos, videos, text posts and live streams. The platform gained international attention earlier this year when some US users flocked to the app amid concerns over a potential TikTok ban. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The company has invested in large language model development since 2023, not long after OpenAI's release of ChatGPT in late 2022. It has accelerated its AI efforts in recent months, launching Diandian, an AI-powered search application that helps users find content on Xiaohongshu's main platform. Other companies that are pursuing an open-source approach include Alibaba which launched Qwen 3, an upgraded version of its model in April. Earlier this year, startup DeepSeek released its low-cost R1 model as open-source software, shaking up the global AI industry due to its competitive performance despite being developed at a fraction of the cost of Western rivals. REUTERS
Deccan Herald
03-06-2025
- Business
- Deccan Herald
WhatsApp's Instagram-like music option for status updates comes to India: Here's how to use it
In March, WhatsApp announced that it would bring an Instagram-like music option to status updates on its messenger updating status on WhatsApp was bland compared to Instagram. With the custom music option, photos and videos on status updates will become lively and promised back then, the new music feature has been finally made available on WhatsApp for Android and iPhone versions in India and several other regions worldwide. However, it has not yet been released in Brazil and some select countries..I/O 2025: Google showcases new AI-powered 'Try it on' shopping how to add music to images or videos for status updates:Step 1: Tap Updates >> Select a photo or video, or tap Camera to take a new photo or 2: Tap the 'music note' icon to open the music 3: Tap the search bar to search for music or scroll down to browse popular 4: Users can search by song, artist, or 5: Tap the 'Play' button to preview the song or tap '->' icon add to the seek bar to select a section of the song to add to the 6: Then, tap the centre of the screen to change the sticker 7: Tap can tap and hold the sticker to move and resize it. If needed, tap the sticker to go back to the music editor to change the 9: Once finalised, tap the send (arrow icon) should be noted that users can add 15 seconds of music to a status containing an image. For video statuses, users can add music for a maximum of 60 the music option for WhatsApp updates is not available on the desktop version yet. It is expected to be launched in the coming finally brings WhatsApp Messenger to the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.
Hindustan Times
02-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
How to add music to WhatsApp status: A step-by-step guide
WhatsApp has introduced some new updates and features to how we upload status within the app. One of the attractive features of WhatsApp status is the new audio feature, where users can take advantage of adding Instagram-like music to photos and videos. This addition will make the status more engaging and intuitive, similar to how we post short stories on the Instagram and Facebook apps. Therefore, if you frequently upload status on the WhatsApp app, then we have curated a detailed guide on how to add music to photos and video updates. Also read: WhatsApp Web to bring voice and video call features soon for users - All details Step 1: Go to the 'Updates' section on WhatsApp Step 2: Click on the Add status option and select the image or video you want to upload Step 3: Now, click on the music icon placed on top of the screen Step 4: You can select any music from the library or write the artist or music name in the search bar Step 5: After selecting the song, you will be provided with a slider interface to select the portion of the song. Step 6: Now, preview the song and click on 'done' Step 7: If everything stands as per your liking, then simply tap on the send button to upload the status. Also read: WhatsApp introduces new chat themes and wallpapers- All details Note that for photo updates, users can add up to 15 seconds of music. Whereas, for videos, users can go up to the length of the video or up to 60 seconds long. WhatsApp also ensures that the status updates are end-to-end encrypted, as are messages, calls, or video chats. The status update with music will have a 24-hour limit and will disappear automatically. Reportedly, the feature has started to roll out to both Android and iOS devices globally. Apart from music support for WhatsApp status, the company has also rolled out other new features. This includes a new layout feature which enables users to add up to 6 images in a collage format. Users can now also create a photo into a sticker, enabling users to be more creative with their stories. Mobile Finder: Google Pixel 10 Pro LATEST specs, features, and price
NDTV
29-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
"Good Days Are Over": Chinese Students After Trump's Crackdown On Visas
Beijing: Chinese students with offers from US universities expressed despair after Washington promised to start "aggressively" revoking Chinese student visas and ordered US missions abroad to stop scheduling new student visa appointments. If applied to a broad segment of the 277,000 Chinese students already at US colleges, the move could disrupt a major source of income for universities and a crucial pipeline of talent for US technology companies as the Trump administration pursues its hardline immigration agenda. "It's pretty absurd. It doesn't seem like something that should happen these days. I scrolled social media and felt quite anxious seeing other people's reactions," said Chen, 22, who has a postgraduate offer to study a humanities subject from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "Although my major is not sensitive, my visa application process hasn't started yet and my course begins in early August." Chen, who lives in the southwestern megacity of Chengdu, is prepared to defer her studies for a term if the visa doesn't come through in time. She preferred not to share her full name for privacy reasons. "If I really can't go to the US, I may take up an offer from the UK's London School of Economics," she said. Reuters reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked his department to pause the scheduling of student visa appointments until the department issues updated guidance on social media vetting of applicants. The news set off a wave of confusion and despair on China's Instagram-like platform RedNote, as incoming students scrambled to book the last remaining visa interview slots and others complained that they could no longer book. Wu said she stayed up until 3 a.m. on Wednesday frantically refreshing the webpage until she managed to snag a precious mid-June interview slot at the US Consulate in Shanghai. "At nearly midnight I saw the news and immediately started booking, the page crashed several times," she told Reuters. The 29-year-old biology student, who preferred not to share her full name for privacy reasons, has an offer from the University of Minnesota Duluth and no back-up plan if her visa is rejected. The cable, signed by Rubio, said previously scheduled appointments may proceed but did not specify when the interview booking system would resume. Nor did Rubio specify when the visa revocations would begin. "The Department's scheduling of nonimmigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic," a State Department spokesperson said in response to Reuters' questions about the suspension of appointments. "Visa applicants may continue to submit applications. Consular sections constantly adjust their schedules to allow for sufficient time to fully vet the cases before them." The spokesperson added that the Trump administration was focused on "upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process." Running out of time The announcement comes at a critical period in the international student application process, as many young people prepare to travel to the US in August to find accommodation and settle in before term starts. "I was super looking forward to starting my university life but then all this happened," said a Beijing high school senior with a media studies offer from Ohio State University, who declined to give her name for privacy reasons. "I still need 1-2 months to apply for my visa, term starts soon and I have no time left, it's really a disaster out of nowhere and really unfair to international students." In their posts on RedNote, a few Chinese social media users also reported additional scrutiny of their listed social media accounts from US consular officials during visa interviews this week. In Beijing, the foreign ministry condemned the measures against Chinese students and said it had lodged protests with the US "The US side, using ideology and national security as an excuse, irrationally revoked Chinese international student visas," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on Thursday. "Its politically discriminatory practices pierce through the so-called freedom of speech it has always flaunted, this will only further damage its international image and reputation." China is also at the epicentre of Trump's global trade war that has roiled financial markets, upended supply chains and fuelled risks of a global economic downturn. The decision to cancel Chinese student visas is happening despite a recent pause in the US-China trade dispute. International students - 54% of them from India and China - contributed more than $50 billion to the US economy in 2023, according to the US Department of Commerce. "It is superpower suicide to stop the best foreign minds from coming to the United States and using their talents to propel American prosperity and technological advantage," Rush Doshi, a former Biden administration China official and assistant professor at Georgetown University, wrote on X on Wednesday. "The iron fist has come down," wrote an anonymous Chinese PhD student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on RedNote on Thursday. "The good days are over and a new round of hard times will begin for international students."
