DUBAI: The Chinese state news media Xinhua has been slammed by Indians after publishing a video that some say is racist.
The video, tagged the “7 Sins of India” is presented by an English-speaking Chinese woman who opens with the comment: “It’s been two months since Indian troops illegally crossed the China-India boundary, but so far India has shown no sign of withdrawal at all.”
She is referring to the dispute between the two countries which has led to a standoff at the Doklam plateau, from where, recently, video footage was shared showing troops throwing stones at each other.
The woman goes on to claim: “On June 18 Indian border troops carrying weapons and driving bulldozers illegally crossed the delimited boundary into the undisputed Chinese territory.”
The Xinhua video published online shows an actor in a turban with fake facial hair and speaking in what appears to be a pretend Indian accent.
Reacting to the video the national daily, the Indian Express, slammed the portrayal of an Indian as derogatory and said the rhetoric had reached “alarming levels and crossed every line of decency.”
Meanwhile the Hindustan Times describe the content as a “racist video parodying Indians,” which particularly targeted the Sikh minority.
But both China and Bhutan – an ally of India – claim the territory as their own, although in the video the female presenter says Bhutan does not dispute China’s claim on the land.
China has demanded the withdrawal of the Indian troops before agreeing to any talks between the two countries.
The standoff began two months ago when Indian troops confronted Chinese military working on a road in the area which is deemed strategically important as it is where Tibet, India and Bhutan meet.
India believes the road that is being built by the Chinese poses a “serious security concern.”
There has already been some suggestion that the situation could escalate into an armed conflict.
Reporting on the standoff between the two super powers, the South China Morning Post quoted sources close to the Chinese military as saying the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had plans to deploy aircraft and strategic missiles against India’s troops in the event of conflict breaking out, in order to limit the action to skirmishes.
“The PLA will not seek to fight a ground war with Indian troops early on. Instead it will deploy aircraft and strategic missiles to paralyze Indian mountain divisions stationed in the Himalayas on the border with China,” the anonymous source told the newspaper.
Indians say Chinese state media video is racist
Indians say Chinese state media video is racist
Tunisian filmmaker wins $1 million global AI film contest in Dubai
- The French-language short film, “Lily,” was created entirely using Google’s generative AI tools
- The winning film was selected from 3,500 film submissions
DUBAI: Tunisian filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi on Saturday won the inaugural $1 million AI film award, launched in collaboration with Google’s Gemini, for his short movie, “Lily.”
He was declared the winner in a ceremony held during the second day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai where Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, presented the award.
The French-language short film, “Lily,” created entirely using Google’s generative AI tools — including Gemini, Veo 3, Imagen and Flow — was named after the filmmaker’s daughter, who inspired the story.
The nine-minute film follows a lonely archivist haunted by a doll caught on his car bumper during a hit-and-run accident, forcing him to confront his guilt, confess to the police, and reunite the doll with the injured child in the hospital.
“My daughter has a doll, which is also called Lily. This doll lived with us through our moments of grievances, joy, and victories,” Jlassi told Arab News.
He said the film, which took a month to complete, portrays the doll as the protagonist’s silent witness and secretkeeper, ultimately prompting his moral awakening and bringing him back to life. The film’s message, he added, is that routine can dull self-awareness, preventing people from confronting their own truths and taking responsibility for their mistakes.
“With this film, I hope to inspire aspiring filmmakers to dream, take ideas from their archives, execute them and share them on their own platforms without relying on large production budgets or expensive equipment,” he told Arab News.
“This is the beauty of technology; it unleashes creativity without limits.”
The winning film was selected from 3,500 film submissions from 16 countries, with organizers saying the award aimed to encourage the use of AI in producing meaningful films and enhance the creators’ ability to deliver humanitarian stories.
It also looked to empower young people to leverage technology in boosting their creativity and creating artworks that bridge cultures.
The shortlisting process took place over multiple stages. A jury of international technology experts and filmmakers selected 12 films based on the storytelling originality, narrative structure, visual aesthetics, creative use of AI technologies, overall creativity, emotional impact, and adherence to transparency and ethical principles.
The five finalists were selected after public voting of the works selected by the jury, organizers said.
Each film had to be powered by at least 70 percent generative AI tools from Google — including Veo, Imagen and Flow — or third-party platforms that run on Gemini’s technology. The tech company said that the entries underwent advanced technical assessment and AI verification to ensure submissions met the criteria.
The remaining finalists were “Portrait No. 72” by Rodson Verr Suarez of the Philippines; “Cats Like Warmth” by South Korean director Lee Su Yeol; “Heal” by Egyptian director Mohamed Gomaa; and “The Translator” by US-based Pylyp Li.
The top five AI-generated short films were screened on the first day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, a gathering of content creators aiming to explore how new media can drive positive change and fuel sustainable economic growth.
