, the videoconferencing company, has netted about $1 billion on an investment it made in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic PBC in early 2023.The total value of ’s stake in the rapidly ascendant AI company is worth about $1.27 billion, according to a regulatory filing Friday
Bolivian riot police clashed with anti-government protesters in La Paz on Friday (May 22, 2026) for the second time in a week as unions and Indigenous groups pressed their calls for President Rodrigo Paz to step down. Demands for the business-friendly conservative to resign have persisted despite
A fire broke out at an oil depot in the southern Russian port of Novorossiysk following a Ukrainian drone attack, the city's mayor said on Saturday (May 23, 2026). "As a result of falling UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) debris, a fire broke out at the oil depot
A newt dawn: Wknd talks to Whitley awardee Barkha Subba about her fight for salamandersThey walked among the dinosaurs. Now, they are in danger. There may be only 5,000 Himalayan salamanders left in the wild in India, Subba says. Published on: May 23
Indian woman praises China’s cleanliness, questions civic sense in India: ‘You won’t find a single wrapper’An Indian woman said China’s cleanliness proved civic sense mattered more than population. Published on: May 23, 2026 2:03 PM IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Share via Copy link An
Nita Ambani left in splits as student slips Mumbai Indians joke into DAIS graduation speechA Mumbai Indians joke cracked by the head boy of the DAIS' 2026 graduating class left the entire auditorium, including Nita Ambani, laughing. Published on: May 23
Kerala HM announces 'Operation Toofan' anti-narcotics campaignKerala HM announces 'Operation Toofan' anti-narcotics campaign Published on: May 23, 2026 2:24 PM IST PTI Share via Copy link Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday announced a comprehensive statewide
Chopper crash near Leh: Injured major general poses, pilot flashes 'victory' sign in viral selfieAn Army Cheetah chopper crashed near Leh in eastern Ladakh last week. An image from the crash site is now viral. Updated on: May 23, 2026 2:36 PM IST By Rahul Singh Share via Copy link Three days after
Shanghai's Streets Fall Silent: Anatomy Of A Crackdown
Shanghai's Streets Fall Silent: Anatomy Of A Crackdown
What began as a vigil transformed within hours into the most brazen challenge to Xi Jinping's authority in decades. By dawn on 28 November, the streets stood empty. The demonstrators had vanished, swallowed by a crackdown so swift and methodical it revealed the terrifying efficiency of China's surveillance state.
On the night of 26 November 2022, Shanghai's Wulumuqi Road flickered with candlelight. Hundreds gathered to mourn ten lives lost in a Urumqi apartment fire—victims trapped behind locked doors, casualties of China's zero-COVID obsession. What began as a vigil transformed within hours into the most brazen challenge to Xi Jinping's authority in decades. By dawn on 28 November, the streets stood empty. The demonstrators had vanished, swallowed by a crackdown so swift and methodical it revealed the terrifying efficiency of China's surveillance state.
This was not spontaneous repression. It was a theatre rehearsed through three years of pandemic control, performed with the precision of a regime that tolerates no deviation from the script. 4:30 am, 27 November: The first arrests. As protesters held blank A4 sheets—symbols of everything they could not say—plainclothes officers melted into the crowd. By 4:30 am, witnesses saw several demonstrators being dragged into police vehicles near the makeshift memorial. BBC journalist Ed Lawrence, beaten and detained for hours, became collateral damage in Beijing's information war. China's Foreign Ministry claimed he "failed to identify himself"—a lie the BBC swiftly demolished. The message was clear: even foreign witnesses would not escape unscathed.
Sunday afternoon: Digital erasure begins. Whilst fresh crowds defied a heavy police presence on Wulumuqi Road, China's censorship machinery whirred into motion. On Weibo, searches for "Shanghai" and "Urumqi"—once yielding millions of results—now returned mere hundreds. The terms "white paper" and "A4" joined the blacklist within hours. Hashtags relating to the protests vanished as if they had never existed. By Monday morning, Chinese social media had been sanitised of dissent. State censors even deployed spam—flooding Twitter with pornography and gambling content under protest hashtags to bury footage reaching international audiences.
Add Zee News as a Preferred Source
Monday onwards: The surveillance dragnet closes. Here, China's investment in AI-enabled control paid dividends. Police used mobile phone tower data to triangulate everyone near the Liangma River on the night of 27 November. They wielded facial recognition cameras to identify protesters who had masked their faces. One demonstrator, Zhang, wore a balaclava and goggles, changed jackets to lose his tail—yet police still rang the next day. They knew his phone had been in the protest zone. Twenty minutes later, three officers knocked at his door.
This was totalitarianism perfected through technology. No dystopian novel had imagined anything quite so thorough.
The legal charade: "Picking quarrels and provoking trouble". By December, authorities began formal arrests under Article 293 of China's Criminal Code—the catch-all charge of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". This Orwellian offence, so vague it can criminalise virtually any behaviour, carries up to five years' imprisonment. Among the detained: Cao Zhixin, a publishing editor; Yang Liu, a state media journalist; and others whose only crime was attending a peaceful vigil. By January 2023, at least 32 people had been targeted, with Human Rights Watch documenting formal charges against several. Many remain in detention, subjected to interrogations designed to extract confessions and break spirits.
China's Constitution guarantees citizens the right to assembly. The People's Republic signed—but crucially, never ratified—the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects peaceful protest. These commitments are worthless paper. As legal scholars note, China's courts function not as arbiters of justice but as "instruments of repression". Every case analysed by Amnesty International revealed violations of fair trial rights; 67 out of 68 resulted in custodial sentences.
Echoes of 2022, shadows of 1989. The White Paper protests deliberately invoked the Tiananmen Square demonstrations of 1989, when tanks crushed pro-democracy students. But where Tiananmen required military brutality, Shanghai demanded only algorithms and surveillance cameras. This is authoritarianism 2.0—control without carnage, repression without spectacle.
The crackdown's efficiency carries global implications. China exports this surveillance model to 63 countries through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). From Uganda to Zimbabwe, Chinese facial recognition systems track populations whilst feeding data back to Beijing to "fine-tune" algorithms on darker skin tones. This is not merely domestic tyranny; it is a blueprint for digital authoritarianism spreading across continents.
For democratic nations, Shanghai offers a grim lesson: technological advancement does not inherently favour freedom. China has demonstrated how AI, big data, and omnipresent cameras can forge societies where dissent dies in the cradle. The protesters who vanished from Shanghai's streets remain imprisoned—not only behind bars but within a system designed to erase their very existence from public memory. Their punishment extends beyond confinement: families face harassment, careers lie in ruins, and the deprivation of political rights ensures silence long after release.
Shanghai's streets now speak only in the language Beijing permits. The blank sheets have been torn away. But the courage it took to hold them aloft, even briefly, exposes the regime's deepest fear: that a people who have tasted freedom, however fleeting, can never fully forgetever fully forget.
Source: ZeeNews
Related Posts: BJP's CR Kesavan accuses DMK of "brazen anti-Hindu mindset" over Udhayanidhi's remarks after Amit Malviya case quashed Stock exchanges step up vigil as brokers cross-sell financial products NPCI ups vigil on third party apps as it tightens scrutiny on fintechs Shutdowns began as a way to enforce federal law They Began Lowering Their Weapons The secrets began before I even auditioned Xi's anti-corruption drive began 14 years ago Lisa Ray Reveals Her Career Began In Grief After Mother Was Left Paralyzed Four killed, 44 injured in Russia’s largest drone strike on Ukraine since war began 90 ships crossed Hormuz since war began
Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals face off in a crucial IPL clash, with playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Both teams need a win, but their fate also depends on other results. KKR's strong recovery contrasts with DC's reliance on KL Rahul
8 hours ago
Some of the most useful lessons I learnt as a young restaurateur came from New York restaurateur Danny Meyer’s book Setting the Table. He writes beautifully about the guest who comes in alone. Most diners come in with an agenda — to impress a date, close a deal
8 hours ago
The Union government told the Supreme Court on Friday that 217 Indian nationals had joined the Russian military during the war in Ukraine, of whom 139 have been released from their contractual agreements, The Hindu reported. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told a bench headed by Chief
8 hours ago
Hamza Burhan, a key operative linked to the Pakistan-backed terror outfit Al-Badr, who also worked as an Over Ground Worker (OGW) during the Pulwama terror attack period, was killed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Thursday. Several wanted Pakistan-based terrorists
8 hours ago
Nothing says summer quite like a chilled, fruity mocktail. As temperatures continue to rise, refreshing drinks packed with tropical flavours, citrusy notes, and vibrant ingredients are becoming the perfect way to cool down. Whether you are hosting a weekend brunch, planning a house party
8 hours ago
Producer Vashu Bhagnani has lashed out at David Dhawan and his actor-son Varun Dhawan. On Friday, Vashu held a press conference in Mumbai and claimed that the storyline of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is similar to Biwi No.1. Released in 1999
8 hours ago
Hyderabad, May 23 (PTI) A lawyer died after being hit by a car outside his residence here in a suspected case of pre-planned murder, police said on Saturday. The 63-year-old victim was about to get into his car when the car hit him at his residence at Masab Tank here.Hyderabad
8 hours ago
Raghav Chadha has been appointed the new chairman of the Committee on Petitions in the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha chairman reconstituted the committee and nominated ten members. This appointment takes effect from May 20, 2026. Dr. Menaka Guruswamy has also been nominated to the Joint Committee on
8 hours ago
Formula 1’s silly season has arrived early, and we have Red Bull Racing boss Laurent Mekies to thank for it. The Frenchman doubled down on his explosive claim that Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, is heading to McLaren to eventually become team principal
8 hours ago
The blue-collar town that’s set to decide Britain’s next Prime MinisterLabour left-winger Andy Burnham wants to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister. First, he must convince the Makerfield voters and fend off Reform UK. Published on: May 23
8 hours ago
Human beings are not just shaped by their actions, but they are also creatures of circumstance. This is especially true in the sporting world, where athletes’ performance not only depends on their quality but also on who the rivals are, their prevailing standards of excellence and the setting in
8 hours ago
Do you have greasy flakes on nose and scalp? Dermatologist explains what you are doing wrongSeborrheic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition that manifests in the form of greasy flakes on the nose and scalp. Dr Abigail Waldman shares what to do. Updated on: May 23
8 hours ago
Investors just can’t get enough of stocks these daysWar, inflation and worries about the AI boom haven’t kept stocks from setting records. Published on: May 23, 2026 2:27 PM IST WSJ Share via Copy link Investors just can’t get enough of stocks these days
8 hours ago
Fuel prices have surged for the third time in eight days. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge criticizes the government, accusing it of "looting" citizens. He highlights international examples where countries provided relief. India's petrol and diesel prices have increased by nearly Rs 5 per litre
8 hours ago
Ballia (UP), May 23 (PTI) A court here has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his wife and dumping her body in a pond in 2019 after the couple remained childless, police said on Saturday. According to the prosecution, Nepal Paswan
8 hours ago
Delhi street vendor’s profound take on gender equality goes viral: ‘Spitting truth’The Delhi street vendor’s reaction to being asked, “Are women oppressed?” has won the internet’s hearts. Published on: May 23, 2026 9:18 AM IST By Trisha Sengupta Share via Copy link A local street
11 hours ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.Sharara sets are the ultimate festive trend for Eid al-Adha: Choose from these picks under ₹3000From pastel embroidered sets to regal Banarasi shararas
11 hours ago
‘Most earnings spent on buying water’: Outdoor workers bear brunt of Delhi heatIn Delhi’s 45 degrees Celsius heat, outdoor workers say there is little room to stop. Updated on: May 23, 2026 10:29 AM IST By Anita Goswami | Reported by Aaditya Khatwani Share via Copy link As Delhi sweltered
11 hours ago
Tulsi Gabbard resigned as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence on Friday (May 22, 2026), saying she needed to step away as her husband battles cancer. She is the fourth Cabinet official to depart during Mr. Trump’s second term. In her resignation letter
11 hours ago
A recently arrested man accused of links with Iran-backed terror networks allegedly plotted to assassinate US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump in an attempt to avenge the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in the recent US-Israeli strikes
11 hours ago
Alone in her bedroom, six-year-old Emilia laughs at jokes told by kids on the other side of the world and listens to stories told by a lively adult voice.The tales and gags - many baffling to adult ears - are emitted by a , one of a growing class of sound-only gadgets for young children
11 hours ago
Fat loss coach shares the cardio routine that helped her lose weight from 84 to 54 kg sustainablyWalking or HIIT? Here’s a cardio routine shared by a fitness coach you can follow to lose weight and get in shape. Published on: May 23, 2026 10:54 AM IST By Anukriti Srivastava Share via Copy link
11 hours ago
IITian founders offer ₹50,000/month to candidate who asked for ₹35,000 salaryIn a video, the IITian founders explained why they decided to pay a higher salary than what the candidate asked for. Published on: May 23, 2026 10:59 AM IST By Trisha Sengupta Share via Copy link In a refreshing
11 hours ago
said on Friday there were no imminent new US tariffs expected to be imposed on semiconductors, but that it was important to protect the sector with duties to facilitate reshoring of chip production.Greer, speaking at a memory chip plant expansion project in the Washington, D.C., suburbs
11 hours ago
The United States on Friday (May 22, 2026) temporarily banned the entry of lawful permanent residents who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, citing concerns over Ebola. U.S. citizens
11 hours ago
Marco Rubio India Visit Live Updates: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday on his first official visit to India, ahead of high-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi later in the day. Confirming his arrival
11 hours ago
Every Indian summer comes with its own set of rituals, rising temperatures, nostalgic family vacations, afternoon siestas, and of course, mangoes finding their way into almost every meal imaginable. But in recent years, mango season has evolved far beyond household indulgence
11 hours ago
