BEIJING: China’s cyberspace regulator issued draft regulations on Friday to oversee the development online of digital humans, requiring clear labelling and banning services that could mislead children or fuel addiction.

The Cyberspace Administration of China’s proposed rules would require prominent “digital human” labels on all virtual human content and prohibit digital humans from providing “virtual intimate relationships” to those under 18, according to rules published for public comment until May 6.

The draft regulations would also ban the use of other people’s personal information to create digital humans without consent, or using virtual humans to bypass identity verification systems, reflecting Beijing’s efforts to maintain control in the face of advances in artificial intelligence.

Digital humans are also prohibited from disseminating content that endangers national security, inciting subversion of state power, promoting secession, or undermining national unity, the draft rules said.

Service providers are advised to prevent and resist content that is sexually suggestive, depicts horror, cruelty or incites discrimination based on ethnicity or region, according to the document. Providers are also encouraged to take necessary measures to intervene and provide professional assistance when users exhibit suicidal or self-harming tendencies.

China made clear its ambitions to aggressively adopt AI throughout its economy in the new five-year policy blueprint issued last month. The push comes alongside tightening governance in the booming industry to ensure safety and alignment with the country’s socialist values.

The new rules aim to fill a gap in governance in the digital human sector, setting clear red lines for the healthy development of the industry, according to an analysis published on the cyberspace regulator’s website.

“The governance of digital virtual humans is no longer merely an issue of industry norms; rather, it has become a strategic scientific problem that concerns the security of cyberspace, public interests, and the high-quality development of the digital economy,” it added.

• Habshan plant fires disrupt energy operations.
• Ajban debris incident injures 12 civilians.
• Air defences intercept missiles, drones daily.

DUBAI: The death toll in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has risen to 10, including foreign nationals, with more than 200 people injured since the Middle East conflict began on February 28, as falling debris from intercepted Iranian missiles and drones continues to hit civilian and industrial areas.

Among the deceased are four Pakistani nationals, highlighting the broader impact on expatriate communities.

In the latest incident, debris from intercepted aerial threats triggered fires at the Habshan gas processing plant, a key energy facility in south-west Abu Dhabi.

An Egyptian national was killed during evacuation, while four others — including two Pakistanis — sustained minor injuries, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. Operations at the plant have been suspended, and damage assessments are ongoing.

In a separate incident in Ajban, about 80 kilometres north-east of Abu Dhabi city, debris from intercepted projectiles injured 12 people. Those wounded included nationals from Nepal and India; one individual remains in serious condition, while others suffered minor to moderate injuries.

The UAE Ministry of Defence said its air defence systems intercepted multiple ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones launched from Iran in the past 24 hours. While the interceptions prevented potentially larger-scale damage, officials warned that falling debris continues to pose significant risks to populated and industrial zones.

Authorities said missile and drone attacks have been reported on a near-daily basis since the conflict began, increasing pressure on emergency response systems and critical infrastructure.

WASHINGTON: As American forces race against time and Iran’s military to locate an aviator reportedly shot down Friday, a former Air Force pilot and a rescuer told AFP what it takes to hide, survive and extract someone behind enemy lines.

“You’re like, ‘Oh my God, I was in a fighter jet two minutes ago, flying 500 miles an hour, and a missile just exploded, literally 15 feet from your head,'” said retired brigadier general Houston Cantwell, who is now at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

That said, a pilot’s training — known as survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) — would likely kick in before he or she parachutes to the ground.

“Your best view of where you may want to go or where you may want to avoid is while you’re coming down in your parachute,” Cantwell said.

Cantwell logged 400 hours of combat flight experience, including missions over Iraq and Afghanistan.

Parachuting to the ground risks foot, ankle, and leg injuries, the former airman explained.

“There are many stories of survivors from Vietnam that had severe injuries — compound fractures — just from the ejection,” he said.

Upon landing, “take an inventory of yourself to figure out, what condition am I in? Can I even move? Am I even mobile?”

Aviators then figure out where they are, whether it is behind enemy lines, where they can hide, and how they can communicate.

“Try to avoid enemy capture, as long as you can,” Cantwell said. “And if I were in a desert environment, I’d want to try to find some water.”

Simultaneously, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) teams — highly trained soldiers and pilots already on alert — would be activated.

“It gives you tremendous peace of mind, knowing that, you know, they’re going to do everything they can to come get you,” Cantwell said. “At the same time, they’re not going to come on a suicide mission.”

That’s where the missing crewmember can increase the odds of a safe rescue.

“My priority would be, first of all, concealment, because I don’t want to be captured,” he said. “I want to try to get to a location where I can get extracted.”

In a city, that may be a rooftop. In a rural setting, a field where helicopters can land. Movement is best at night, he said.

Cantwell said that when he flew, he also carried a pistol.

Rescue mission

Meanwhile in a “ready room,” CSAR soldiers like retired master sergeant Scott Fales suit up.

Experts like Fales — a pararescue jumper who played a key role in the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” incident in Mogadishu, Somalia — are always standing by whenever US aircraft are over enemy territory.

“Before any operations are conducted… there is always a CSAR plan,” Fales told AFP.

Simultaneously, an immense amount of intelligence is gathered and analyzed on the location and status of the missing aviator.

“Everything from human intelligence to imagery intelligence, to you know, all the different drones we have looking — signals intelligence,” Fales said. “It’s all being used to try to find this guy.”

Once the missing aviator is located, a rescue plan is formulated in real time inside the helicopters.

“Those gunners are spotting and looking for threats, the pilots are looking for a place to land, we’re reaching out to that downed aviator,” he said.

On the ground, they ensure the pilot is actually the person they are searching for, and a threat-versus-medical-needs assessment is done.

In their minds, Fales said: “What kind of immediate threat are we in? How much time do we have to get this person out? What kind of injuries do they have? And then we’ll make up our mind on the type, amount of treatment that’s needed on the scene — or do we just grab and go depending on the threat?”

With a fellow soldier still unaccounted for in southwest Iran, Fales said he’s “very hopeful” the aviator will be located.

“I’m hoping that friendly people have found him and are hiding him,” he said. “Or he’s still evading.”