{
  "id": 11390063,
  "title": "Techie was stung by a wasp, held overnight by Chinese police, then trapped in a 13-hour meeting",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/techie-was-stung-by-a-wasp-held-overnight-by-chinese-police-then",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-02T08:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Register Software",
    "slug": "the-register-software",
    "url": "https://www.theregister.com/software/2026/10/02/techie-was-stung-by-a-wasp-held-overnight-by-chinese-police-then-trapped-in-a-13-hour-meeting/5300368"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "This week's installment of On Call explores a tech professional's unfortunate journey to China for a sales meeting, courtesy of Carson, a reader whose employer sent him without securing a visa first. Upon arrival, Carson was stung by a wasp and spent 12 hours on a flight, swollen and in pain. At Hong Kong's transfer desk, airline staff allowed him boarding despite his visa issues, only to have his employer deny entry due to the visa delay. Chinese police arrested Carson, confiscating his passport and forcing him to exchange cash for Chinese notes to pay a $247 fine. Carson was then placed under guard in a hotel overnight, before colleagues arrived to work on the sales presentation. Despite being exhausted, they continued working through the night until 3 am. In the morning, Carson was interrogated, given breakfast, and escorted to the airport. His visa was finally approved, and he returned to Shanghai for a 13-hour sales meeting that started at 9 am and ended around 10 pm.",
  "summary": "Sales calls can be even nastier than support calls",
  "key_points": [
    "Carson, a tech professional, was stung by a wasp in China.",
    "He was arrested by Chinese police due to visa issues.",
    "Carson endured a 13-hour sales meeting after the ordeal."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Register",
        "title": "Techie was stung by a wasp, held overnight by Chinese police, then trapped in a 13-hour meeting",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/techie-was-stung-by-a-wasp-held-overnight-by-chinese-police-then-11390462",
        "published": "2026-10-02T08:01:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}