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China's Humanoid Robots Generate More Soccer Excitement than their Human Counterparts

Billboard illustrating humanoid robots at 2018 China International Robot Show in Shanghai. Reuters
Billboard illustrating humanoid robots at 2018 China International Robot Show in Shanghai. Reuters
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China's Humanoid Robots Generate More Soccer Excitement than their Human Counterparts

Billboard illustrating humanoid robots at 2018 China International Robot Show in Shanghai. Reuters
Billboard illustrating humanoid robots at 2018 China International Robot Show in Shanghai. Reuters

While China's men's soccer team hasn't generated much excitement in recent years, humanoid robot teams have won over fans in Beijing based more on the AI technology involved than any athletic prowess shown.

Four teams of humanoid robots faced off in fully autonomous 3-on-3 soccer matches powered entirely by artificial intelligence on Saturday night in China's capital in what was touted as a first in China and a preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games, set to take place in Beijing.

According to the organizers, a key aspect of the match was that all the participating robots operated fully autonomously using AI-driven strategies without any human intervention or supervision.

Equipped with advanced visual sensors, the robots were able to identify the ball and navigate the field with agility

They were also designed to stand up on their own after falling. However, during the match several still had to be carried off the field on stretchers by staff, adding to the realism of the experience.

China is stepping up efforts to develop AI-powered humanoid robots, using sports competitions like marathons, boxing, and football as a real-world proving ground.

Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, the company that supplied the robot players, said sports competitions offer the ideal testing ground for humanoid robots, helping to accelerate the development of both algorithms and integrated hardware-software systems.

He also emphasized safety as a core concern in the application of humanoid robots.

“In the future, we may arrange for robots to play football with humans. That means we must ensure the robots are completely safe,” Cheng said. “For example, a robot and a human could play a match where winning doesn’t matter, but real offensive and defensive interactions take place. That would help audiences build trust and understand that robots are safe.”

Booster Robotics provided the hardware for all four university teams, while each school’s research team developed and embedded their own algorithms for perception, decision-making, player formations, and passing strategies—including variables such as speed, force, and direction, according to Cheng.

In the final match, Tsinghua University’s THU Robotics defeated the China Agricultural University’s Mountain Sea team with a score of 5–3 to win the championship.

Wu, a supporter of Tsinghua, celebrated their victory while also praising the competition.

“They (THU) did really well,” he said. “But the Mountain Sea team (of Agricultural University) was also impressive. They brought a lot of surprises.”

China's men have made only one World Cup appearance and have already been knocked out of next years' competition in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

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Varieties

UK Sculpture Designed to Attract Visiting Insects

'Penleigh Queen Bee' will raise awareness of declining bee populations (Brendon Murless/BBC)
'Penleigh Queen Bee' will raise awareness of declining bee populations (Brendon Murless/BBC)
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UK Sculpture Designed to Attract Visiting Insects

'Penleigh Queen Bee' will raise awareness of declining bee populations (Brendon Murless/BBC)
'Penleigh Queen Bee' will raise awareness of declining bee populations (Brendon Murless/BBC)

A new sculpture, designed to raise awareness of the world's declining bee population, will help host visiting insects inside its structure, according to BBC.

The new piece of art will be installed at Penleigh Park in Westbury, Wiltshire.

Brendon Murless, an artist from Bridport in Dorset, will use clay, steel and logs to create a 220 cm sculpture called 'Penleigh Queen Bee' which will sit on an oak plinth and be full of holes for bees to live in.

His aim is to create a “moment of calm” for visitors to Penleigh Park but also “inspire, and offer a moment of reflection on the wonder of bees and how we are connected to them in different ways.”

His design was chosen after a public vote in Westbury, which sought to find a nature-inspired statue for Penleigh Park.

Murless said: “I was lucky enough to win and I'm on it [ the sculpture] as we speak."

“The piece is called Queen Bee to highlight the plight of these pollinators. Wild bee populations are in decline globally, which directly impacts nature as a whole and our food security,” he added.

In the back of the Queen Bee's head there will be a stack of mixed logs and stones with holes drilled into them to help encourage homes for masonry bees and solitary bees.

Murless continued: “In folklore, bees are also associated with family, protection and teamwork, which I think connect perfectly with this community project.”

Westbury Town Council has worked with Penleigh residents and local schoolchildren on the project to improve the park with additional funding from Wiltshire Council.

Benjamin Griffiths, business development manager at the Town Council, said the sculpture “will be an incredible addition to an already beautiful and much deserving space in Penleigh Park.”

He added: “The whole group have worked really hard to make this happen.”

Wiltshire Council's public art officer, Ella-mai Robey said the “brilliant” idea to transform Penleigh Park all stemmed from local people.

“Using public art developer contributions to create such a great art project for the community is really exciting,” she added.

Varieties

‘Beirut Holidays’ Launches 11th Edition with Abeer Nehme

The crowd erupted in applause as Nehme walked onto the stage with her band, dressed in white. She opened with “Ahwe" (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The crowd erupted in applause as Nehme walked onto the stage with her band, dressed in white. She opened with “Ahwe" (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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‘Beirut Holidays’ Launches 11th Edition with Abeer Nehme

The crowd erupted in applause as Nehme walked onto the stage with her band, dressed in white. She opened with “Ahwe" (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The crowd erupted in applause as Nehme walked onto the stage with her band, dressed in white. She opened with “Ahwe" (Asharq Al-Awsat)

In an evening filled with the joy of reunion and the sense of a city finding its pulse again, the Beirut Holidays festival opened its 11th season under the slogan “And Lebanon Remains.”

Abeer Nehme headlined the opening concert, performing for 90 minutes and moving between her own songs and timeless works by Fairuz and Zaki Nassif.

Thousands gathered on the waterfront in the Antelias-Naccache area to join her in celebrating a city trying to catch its breath and beginning to shake off the dust of war. Lebanese and foreign political figures were also in attendance.

The crowd erupted in applause as Nehme walked onto the stage with her band, dressed in white. She opened with “Ahwe,” written and composed by Charbel Rouhana, expressing her longing to reunite with her Lebanese audience after a long wait.

She followed with “Li Beirut,” as the stage gave way to a striking visual spectacle.

Illuminated drones traced a map of Lebanon across the sky, shifting in formation with the lyrics. At one moment, they formed a heart; at another, they created symbolic scenes of embraces hovering above the audience.

The display added a powerful visual dimension to the concert, catching spectators by surprise and prompting many to raise their phones to record the moment.

Nehme extended her tribute to the capital with “Habibati” (Beirut), a song carrying a message of love and hope.

Nehme said she was delighted to meet her Lebanese audience again after an absence and thanked those who had traveled long distances to attend the concert.

The heat did little to weaken the crowd’s enthusiasm. Audience members clapped, waved and sang with her throughout the evening, in a scene that reflected the sense of longing shared between performer and public.

She performed “They Say Love Kills Time,” composed by the late Ziad Rahbani (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The concert unfolded through a series of surprises, with Nehme presenting a program that crossed several musical styles. She welcomed Algerian artist Amine of Babylone, paid tribute to the late Zaki Nassif and moved smoothly between French chanson, classical Arabic music and her own work.

Her varied musical choices and the energetic pace of the performance kept the audience engaged until the final moments.

In one of the evening’s lighthearted surprises, Nehme invited Amine to the stage. When he was slow to appear, she called out to him several times, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Once he joined her, the two performed a distinctive duet of his well-known song “Zina.”

After Nehme performed “Waynak,” the stage setting changed and images of the late Zaki Nassif filled the giant screens.

She honored him with two songs from his repertoire, “Naqqili Zahra” and “Ishtaqna Ktir Ya Habayeb.” As the music began, the audience rose, applauding and singing along.

The moment blended nostalgia with joy, as an entire generation revisited memories shaped by Nassif’s enduring songs.

Nehme then performed “Bi Oulo El Hob Bi Oqtol El Waqt,” composed by the late Ziad Rahbani, before moving toward pianist Mark Naoum, who accompanied her in a performance marked by romance and musical harmony.

She followed with her song “Amal,” then sang “Hymne à l’amour” by celebrated French singer Edith Piaf, one of the leading stars of the 1950s. Red hearts lit up the stage backdrop, deepening the romantic mood.

Nehme’s vocal abilities stood out throughout the concert.

Her performance of “Ya Tara,” a song about the changes that reshape a love relationship, held the audience’s attention and left a clear emotional impression.

Before leaving the stage, Nehme performed “Bala Ma Nhess” and “Bi Saraha,” two songs that have become fixtures at her concerts.

She closed with “Byeb'a Nas,” delivering a message of gratitude and loyalty to those who have accompanied her on her artistic and personal journey.

The evening ended on a note of joy and hope, reaffirming music’s ability to bring Lebanese people together around a shared moment of life.

Varieties

Baby Haaland in Peru: Newborns Take Names of World Cup Stars

Erling Haaland wears a viking helmet after beating the Ivory Coast at the World Cup. (Getty Images)
Erling Haaland wears a viking helmet after beating the Ivory Coast at the World Cup. (Getty Images)
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Baby Haaland in Peru: Newborns Take Names of World Cup Stars

Erling Haaland wears a viking helmet after beating the Ivory Coast at the World Cup. (Getty Images)
Erling Haaland wears a viking helmet after beating the Ivory Coast at the World Cup. (Getty Images)

In Peru, there is ‌a wave of new baby Haalands. In Argentina, Lionel has raced up the rankings, and in Mexico a girl was reportedly named after three football players. Parents in Latin America are already christening a new generation of babies after the stars of the World Cup.

Hundreds of newborns in Peru have been named for rising stars such as Norway's Erling Haaland, while names inspired by legacy icons like Lionel Messi, Brazil's Neymar and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo each count around 30,000 registrations, Ivan Torres, a spokesperson for Peru's civil registry RENIEC told Panamericana TV last week.

"Haaland is now Peruvian too," Torres said, noting one newborn was simply ‌named "Mundial" after the ‌Spanish shorthand for the World Cup. Peru did not ‌qualify ⁠for the tournament.

Many ⁠Latin Americans with teams not competing or knocked out have been unwilling to support Argentina — broadly seen as too Eurocentric — and thrown their support behind the Norwegian team, whose "Viking row" and Haaland-driven run to the quarter-finals for the first time won them legions of new fans.

In Mexico, which co-hosted the World Cup with the US and Canada, a picture of a birth certificate went viral on social ⁠media showing a baby girl named Quiñona Ysisidra Morita ‌Haaland Guevara - a reference to Mexican stars ‌Julián Quiñones and Gilberto Mora as well as the Norwegian striker.

Ysisidra is a play on "Y ‌si sí?", or "What if?", the upbeat mantra chanted by Mexican fans until ‌they were knocked out by England in the last 16.

Mexico's governance secretariat did not immediately verify the authenticity of the certificate.

In Argentina, Enzo, Emiliano and Lionel topped the list of most popular boy names in the northeastern province of Salta the week before ‌the final, according to local authorities who attributed the trend to the "World Cup phenomenon."

Argentina's World Cup team, who ⁠will play in ⁠Sunday's final, include midfielder Enzo Fernandez and goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez, as well as team captain Messi.

Fabiola Molina, who hosts Mexico City-based podcast "Sin manual para padres" ("No manual for parents"), told Reuters the trend had a history across Latin America dating back to Diego Maradona's 1986 goal against England.

"A few years ago when the Backstreet Boys were popular, many women were naming their sons Kevin and Brian, and that's why it's very common in countries like Bolivia, Chile and Argentina to find someone called Brian Gonzalez, for example."

"It's funny, but it could also be prejudicial to children when they grow up," she said. "Just because your name is Messi or Lionel, it doesn't mean you'll grow up to be a good soccer player — destiny won't carve that out for you."