Latest news with #北京
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Chinese kindergarten investigated after children found to have high lead levels, state media says
A Chinese national flag flutters in the wind in between a high-rise residential and office complex in Beijing, China, on Monday, May 19, 2014. (AP / Andy Wong) Chinese authorities have arrested eight people after more than 200 children who fell ill in the northwestern province of Gansu were found to have abnormally high levels of lead in their blood, the country's state broadcaster reported on Tuesday. The children attended a privately owned kindergarten in Gansu's Tianshui, which was set up in 2022, and had 251 children enrolled, the broadcaster, CCTV, said. Investigations had found lead in food served to students, it said. Online media outlets Jimu and The Cover, citing parents, said students' symptoms included stomach and leg pain, loss of appetite and hair loss. CCTV said authorities were still investigating the kindergarten's staff, including its principal and legal representative. Reuters was not able to establish contact details for the school or verify the information independently. Food safety has improved in China following a series of scandals, including the 2008 discovery of toxic infant milk, which undermined public trust and consumer confidence. Inspections by regulators in 2022 found safety issues were more common in the catering industry and agricultural products, according to state media reports. CCTV said investigators tested 223 samples of food from the school. They found two samples - a red date cake and a corn sausage roll - had lead content of 1052 mg/kg and 1340 mg/kg respectively, far above the official limit of 0.5 mg/kg, it said. The report said investigators traced the lead to paint whose packaging had clearly marked it as inedible. So far, 201 children have been admitted to hospital and all families are receiving free medical treatment, the broadcaster said, citing local authorities. 'The incident has caused physical and mental harm to the children and parents of Peixin kindergarten, and we are very sad. We will learn profound lessons,' the broadcaster said, citing local authorities. (Reporting by Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom)
South China Morning Post
04-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
DeepSeek's LinkedIn AI job listings show hunger for international Chinese talent
Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek has posted a flurry of new job openings on the professional networking site LinkedIn over the past week, coinciding with Meta Platforms ' aggressive hiring blitz amid an intensifying global race for AI talent. Advertisement The Hangzhou-based company listed 10 new positions online, including two internships focused on large language models. Other roles include deep learning researchers, core systems engineers, front-end developers and full-stack engineers, based in either Hangzhou or Beijing. The job descriptions were all in Chinese, and the company highlighted its competitive edge from 'top-tier GPU [graphics processing unit] clusters and rapid experimental iteration on potential ideas'. Recruits would 'collaborate with team members who excel at both research and engineering, focusing on AGI [artificial general intelligence] that balances practical results and academic depth', according to the listings. Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has largely withdrawn from mainland China , suggesting DeepSeek is hungry for Chinese talent overseas. The start-up has also been actively posting roles on its official website and Boss Zhipin, a Chinese job board. As of this week, 18 roles were listed on the company's own site, including positions marked 'urgent' in AGI research and core engineering. Other listings were for lawyers, a chief financial officer, a chief operating officer, and human resources personnel. On Boss Zhipin, DeepSeek had more than 40 listings, with top salaries reaching 90,000 yuan (US$12,560) per month and annual bonuses equivalent to two months' pay. Advertisement Anticipation for DeepSeek's next-generation models has been high, but so far only incremental updates have been released.
South China Morning Post
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Xpeng launches G7 ‘Super AI' SUV, taking on Xiaomi YU7 and Tesla Model Y
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng launched its G7 SUV on Thursday, sending another contender into a fierce battle in the premium SUV segment of the world's largest EV market, where it joins Xiaomi's recently introduced YU7 in taking on Tesla's market-leading Model Y. Dubbed Xpeng's first 'Super AI [artificial intelligence] car', the G7 starts at 195,800 yuan (US$27,325), with the top-of-the-line model selling for 225,800 yuan, the Guangzhou-headquartered company said during a launch event in Beijing on Thursday. The car is Xpeng's first model to feature its in-house Turing AI chip . With three such chips, the EV was able to run an AI large language model with more than 30 billion parameters, the company said. This made the EV the world's first mass-produced car with Level 3 (L3) self-driving capabilities, said He Xiaopeng, Xpeng's founder and CEO, at the launch event. 'The G7 is an epoch-making product from Xpeng and also our first new car in 2025,' said He. 'Starting today, in Xpeng's intelligent driving system, there will not only be L2, but we will also bring L3 intelligent-driving computing power to consumers.' Xpeng unveiled the G7 on June 11 and started presales at 235,800 yuan, placing the car between the company's G6 and flagship G9 SUVs. The model garnered more than 10,000 pre-orders in 46 minutes, He said in a post on Chinese social-media platform Sina Weibo last month. L3 is considered a 'hands-off' system, but still requires drivers to be responsible for safety and ready to take over, while L4 would allow drivers to take their eyes off the road in designated areas, according to standards set by US-based SAE International.
South China Morning Post
03-07-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Chinese team creates blockchain tech to resist attacks from quantum computers
Chinese scientists have developed a new blockchain storage technology that they say can resist attacks from quantum computers. Blockchain technology – which provides a shared, decentralised digital ledger that stores tamper-proof records – has shown revolutionary potential in areas like financial services and supply chain management. Usually, blockchains use specialised encryption algorithms to verify each transaction, ensure the ledger's security, and provide transparent access to data. 'However, the rise of quantum computers threatens to break today's blockchain security systems,' said Wu Tong, an associate professor with the University of Science and Technology Beijing. 'Even the most advanced methods struggle against quantum attacks.' Play Wu worked with a team from the Beijing Institute of Technology and Guilin University of Electronic Technology to find a solution to the problem.
Reuters
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
BYD's off-road brand Fangchengbao offers discount for Huawei assisted driving system
BEIJING, July 2 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD's ( opens new tab Fangchengbao brand is offering a limited-time 20,000 yuan ($2,790.33) discount for the Huawei Qiankun Advanced Driving System package, Fangchengbao said in a social media post on Wednesday. Buyers who place their orders in July would pay 12,000 yuan for the assisted driving system package, compared with the 32,000 yuan, one-time purchase price, the post said. ($1 = 7.1676 Chinese yuan renminbi)
