China to tighten road traffic laws as use of smart-driving systems expands
BEIJING (REUTERS)China will tighten road traffic regulations and set out legal responsibilities to ensure public safety, its public security ministry said on Wednesday, as the use of assisted driving technology in vehicles increases.Beijing is stepping up scrutiny of the technology after a fatal accident in March involving a Xiaomi SU7 sedan which had been in assisted-driving mode seconds before a crash.More tests and verification will be required by car makers, who will have to make clear the limits of such systems and security responses, public security ministry official, Wang Qiang, told a press conference.Smart-driving systems on cars for sale do not have autonomous driving functionality, yet they are included in the assisted-driving category, Wang said.Drivers face safety and legal risks if they are involved in accidents while their hands or eyes are otherwise occupied while the assisted driving feature is turned on, he added.China will bar automakers from "exaggeration and false promotion" of assisted-driving features, Wang said, echoing remarks by the industry ministry.
The public security ministry is also considering changes to driving tests to include standards on autonomous driving and standard assisted driving.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
Hamilton's Belgian GP nightmare gets worse
26 July 2025 21:41 SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (Reuters) Lewis Hamilton, last year's winner with Mercedes, apologised to Ferrari for an unacceptable performance after failing to get through the first phase of Belgian Grand Prix qualifying on seven-time world champion, who has yet to stand on the podium since his move to Maranello in January, will start 16th on Sunday after his best lap was deleted for exceeding track Briton had already endured a nightmare in Saturday's sprint race, starting 18th after a spin in qualifying at the penultimate corner. He finished is a five-time winner in Belgium, one off Michael Schumacher's record at the won at Spa last year after his teammate George Russell was disqualified from first when his car was found to be underweight."We made some changes, the car didn't feel terrible," Hamilton told Sky Sports television."And then from my side, another mistake... I've got to apologise to my team because it's just unacceptable to be out in both Q1S (first qualifying for the sprint and main race). "It's a very, very poor performance for me."Hamilton added that starting from the pit lane, allowing mechanics to work on the car before the race, would probably not improve matters."I don't think there's much we can do," he said. "So I just try and start from where I am and see where I can get from there."He questioned the actual offence, however, and said he would be taking it up with the stewards."I don't agree, no, but I'm out," he Charles Leclerc went through to the final shootout and qualified third, something he had not expected. "We thought we were quite a lot more back. We knew that we had something more in the car with the upgrade this weekend, but we still struggled yesterday. But that was a good lap," he said.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Spain's unemployment rate falls to lowest since 2008 to 10.29%
Spain's unemployment rate fell to 10.29 per cent in the second quarter of 2025 from 11.36 per cent in the preceding three months, data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) showed. The rate was at the lowest level since the first quarter of 2008, when it stood at 9.6 per cent, INE said. It also represents the lowest rate in a second quarter since 2007. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast that the rate would decline to 10.7 per cent. The April-June period tends to be the strongest quarter for employment in Spain, as the tourism sector usually sees high activity before the traditional summer slump hits other industries. After adding over 500,000 new jobs in the quarter, the country surpassed the milestone of 22 million formal workers for the first time. Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz told SER radio the data was very positive but called on employers to improve salaries, which she said were far below those of other European countries despite a high cost of living. Meanwhile Spain's trade deficit widened 42.46 per cent in the first five months of 2025 from the same period a year earlier, to 21.52 billion euros ($25.04 billion), the Economy ministry said on Friday. Imports over the period increased by 4.3 per cent to 184.91 billion euros, while exports rose 0.8 per cent to 163.38 billion euros, the ministry said. Spain's economy is a strong and developing one, characterized by its robust labour market, a growing focus on green energy, and increasing foreign investment. It is the 14th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the fifth largest in Europe. The country is a member of the European Union and the Eurozone, and it has a mixed capitalist economy with a strong service sector, particularly tourism, and a significant industrial base The Spanish government announced a €200 million ($232.03 million) financial package to bolster its investments in Mauritania, along with the launch of the digital platform 'Kantara' aimed at fostering direct connections between economic players in both countries. The announcement came following the conclusion of the first high-level session between Mauritania and Spain, which included the Mauritanian-Spanish Business Council, and was attended by Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of Mauritania, and Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain. According to the Mauritanian Information Agency, the closing session featured pledges and investment commitments. In his remarks, Sanchez said the €200 million package will be channelled into loans for green projects, feasibility studies, risk mitigation instruments, and project implementation tools, particularly in the field of energy transition. He also announced that Spain will appoint its first economic and trade representative in Mauritania as of 1st September. President El Ghazouani emphasised that Mauritania offers a wide range of promising investment opportunities in key sectors such as fisheries, agriculture, livestock development, extractive industries, infrastructure - including roads, bridges, airports, and public buildings - as well as in services, gas, and mining. Earlier the Opec Fund for International Development (Opec Fund) and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania have signed a landmark Country Partnership Framework Agreement to cooperate on key development initiatives during the period 2025-2027, earmarking $120 million in new development financing focusing on the country's development priorities. The funding will finance critical projects that contribute to projects promoting renewable energy, clean water, food security, improved transport and clean cooking. In addition the Opec Fund is pledging to provide up to $500,000 in grants for capacity-building, project preparation and technical assistance. Opec Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said during a visit to the capital Nouakchott: 'We are proud to help improve the lives of people and communities for a more resilient future. Our commitment to Mauritania is focused on bolstering key sectors of the economy.' 'Technical assistance and strong project preparation are vital to mobilise additional development funding, enable public-private partnerships (PPPs) and attract private sector investment.' The Ministry of Economy and Tourism has signed two Memoranda of Understanding with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office and the Moroccan Industrial and Commercial Property Office, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the development of intellectual property (IP) in the UAE in line with international best practices. The MoUs were signed in the presence of Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, during the UAE delegation's participation in the Sixty-Sixth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva. Agencies
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
China proposes global AI cooperation organisation
26 July 2025 08:42 SHANGHAI (REUTERS)Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday proposed establishing an organisation to foster global cooperation on artificial intelligence, calling on countries to coordinate on the development and security of the fast-evolving at the opening of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Li called AI a new engine for growth, but adding that governance is fragmented and emphasising the need for more coordination between countries to form a globally recognised framework for three-day event brings together industry leaders and policymakers at a time of escalating technological competition between China and the United States - the world's two largest economies - with AI emerging as a key battleground."Currently, overall global AI governance is still fragmented. Countries have great differences particularly in terms of areas such as regulatory concepts, institutional rules," Li said."We should strengthen coordination to form a global AI governance framework that has broad consensus as soon as possible," he has imposed export restrictions on advanced technology to China, including the most high-end AI chips made by companies such as Nvidia and chipmaking equipment. Despite these restrictions, China has continued making AI warned that AI could become an "exclusive game" for a few countries and companies, and said challenges included an insufficient supply of AI chips and restrictions on talent exchange. China wanted to share its development experience and products with other countries, especially those in the Global South, he is an annual government-sponsored event in Shanghai that typically attracts major industry players, government officials, researchers and investors. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has in past years regularly appeared at the opening ceremony but did not speak this than 800 companies are participating, showcasing more than 3,000 high-tech products, 40 large language models, 50 AI-powered devices and 60 intelligent robots, according to organisers. The exhibition features many Chinese companies, including tech giants Huawei and Alibaba and startups such as humanoid robot maker Unitree. Western participants include Tesla, Alphabet and Amazon.
