Outspoken Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Arrested & Detained in Beijing, Current Status Unknown
Photo: Hafenbar (CC)
Kyle Chayka writes on Hyperallergic:
Reports have been flying from Twitter that approximately 14 hours ago just before a planned flight to Hong Kong, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been arrested and detained at the Beijing airport. 10 hours ago [Sunday morning Beijing time], police raided Ai’s studio on the outskirts of Beijing. Ai’s status is now unknown: his phone is off, and power has been cut to the studio. The Guardian has the first official report of the events. Here are the details of the arrest:
Ai was due to fly to Hong Kong for business this morning, but was detained at immigration on his way out of Beijing. An officer told an assistant who was travelling with him that the artist had “other business” and could not board the plane.
Between 15 and 20 uniformed and plain clothes police surrounded his studio in Caochangdi, in the north of the capital,…
Young Man Disguised As Elderly Man On International Flight Seeks Refugee Protection
Who would suspect an elderly white man? Nobody. At least, that’s what the young man from Hong Kong thought. While the facial disguise was quite impressive, he forgot to make his hands appear aged as well, which was what raised suspicion as he boarded the plane. CNN reports:
Canadian authorities are investigating an “unbelievable” incident in which a passenger boarded an Air Canada flight disguised as an elderly man, according to a confidential alert obtained by CNN.
The incident occurred on October 29 on Air Canada flight AC018 to Vancouver originating in Hong Kong. An intelligence alert from the Canada Border Services Agency describes the incident as an “unbelievable case of concealment.”
“Information was received from Air Canada Corporate Security regarding a possible imposter on a flight originating from Hong Kong,” the alert says. “The passenger in question was observed at the beginning of the flight to be an elderly Caucasian male who…
Hong Kong Filmmakers Shoot “First” 3D Porn Film
Reports the AFP via Google News:
A group of Hong Kong filmmakers have started shooting what they claim will be the world’s first 3D pornographic film. The 3.2 million-US-dollar 3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy, set for release in May, has already generated interest in a host of Asian film markets, as well as Europe and the US, the Sunday Morning Post reported.
Loosely based on a piece of classical Chinese erotic literature, The Carnal Prayer Mat, the movie will star Japanese adult actresses Yukiko Suo and Saori Hara, the Post said.
The film chronicles the story of a young man who, after being introduced to the erotic world of a duke, realises his ex-wife is the love of his life and features “orgies, swinging and some very graphic sex scenes”, the paper said.
Producer Stephen Shiu acknowledged that censors would likely block the movie’s screening in mainland China, a key market for Hong Kong…
In Hong Kong And Taiwan, Yesterday’s Gruesome Crime Is Today’s Digital Cartoon
Patrick Winn reports for Global Post:
In Taipei and Hong Kong, horrid crimes are no longer left for tabloid readers to imagine.
Crimes are now re-enacted by animators, who render the latest real-life carjackings and knifings into video game-quality digital cartoons.
The videos, as visually alluring as the Grand Theft Auto game series, are produced within hours. Recently, within one day of a police officer’s murder, the Apple Daily tabloids released a vivid re-enactment of the murder — capturing the perp’s haircut, the length of his blade and the torrent of blood spurting from the officer’s neck.
“People really want to watch stuff instead of reading,” said Simon Lee, CEO of multimedia for Apple Daily. The tabloids, which already attract Taiwan and Hong Kong readers with hardcore crime coverage in print, launched their “Motion News” in mid-November.
Some of the Chinese-language animations are posted online and can be viewed here. But the tabloids are mostly…
