Regarding the incident where a female passenger refused to let the driver take a detour and was forced off the highway, police from Jizhou District, North China's Tianjin, said in a release on Sunday evening that the driver, surnamed Li, has been fined, received penalty points on his license, and has been administratively detained.
The local police authorities found that Li, a 43-year-old man, was operating a rideshare vehicle on the Tianjin-Jizhou expressway on December 30, 2024, around 11 am, while carrying a female passenger. When he attempted to change the route, the woman did not agree, leading to a dispute. Li then verbally abused the woman, stopped the vehicle in the emergency lane of the highway, and forcibly dragged her out of the car and drove away, according to the release.
The female passenger said that her ankle was injured due to being dragged by Li, as reported by The Paper.
The release said that after the passenger reported the incident to the police, local police have initiated an investigation. Currently, the authorities have imposed fines and deducted penalty points on his license for violating relevant traffic safety laws, and have also administratively detained him for violating related public security management regulations.
Earlier on Sunday, Didachuxing, the rideshare platform, issued an official statement indicating that upon receiving the complaint, the platform promptly confirmed the passenger's safety and immediately followed up for verification. Li's account has been suspended, and the platform is actively cooperating with the relevant authorities to address the situation, said the statement, according to The Paper.
Some Thai media outlets reported that the missing Chinese actor Wang Xing had been located in Myanmar and is about to return to Thailand. The Chinese Embassy in Thailand told the Global Times on Tuesday that it currently has no further information and is in contact with Wang's family regarding the matter.
On the same day, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar also told the Global Times that it cannot yet confirm the accuracy of Thai media reports saying that Wang Xing has been found. The embassy is continuing to communicate and verify information with various parties in Myanmar and will remain in active contact with relevant departments to firmly safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese citizens in Myanmar, providing immediate updates once definitive information is available
Previously, the Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai confirmed with the Global Times on Monday that Chinese actor Wang Xing has gone missing at the Myanmar-Thailand border, noting that they have maintained good communication with the family and will continue to follow up on the case, ensuring the safety and legal rights of Chinese citizens within the jurisdiction.
The girlfriend of Chinese actor Wang Xing updated her situation on Weibo on Tuesday, revealing the latest developments. After arriving in Bangkok at noon on Monday, she received notification of a case filed by the Shanghai police, along with contact from the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar and the Chinese Consulate General in Chiang Mai.
The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok assigned a representative to accompany her in filing a report at the Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station. After repeatedly confirming key details of the case, the Thai police issued a case report and expressed a positive attitude toward the case's development.
As respiratory diseases enter a peak period in winter, multiple foreign media outlets have been exaggerating reports of a surge in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases in China, claiming that it has overwhelmed local hospitals. Commenting on the matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) told the Global Times exclusively on Wednesday that HMPV is not a new virus, but a common one which usually causes symptoms similar to the common cold.
China's reported levels of respiratory infections are within the usual range for the winter season. Authorities report that hospital utilization is currently lower than this time last year, and there have been no emergency declarations or responses triggered, the WHO said.
In recent days, foreign media including CNN, BBC, and the Washington Post have reported a spike in HMPV cases in China, alleging that it has overwhelmed hospitals, with some attempting to draw parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to media inquiry on the seasonal spike, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that the Chinese government has and will continue to release information about infectious diseases in a timely and transparent way in accordance with law.
The WHO also responded to the concerns, noting that based on what has been reported by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) and meetings between WHO and Chinese authorities, there has been a rise in the number of common respiratory infections in the country, as expected during winter.
The organization assured that China has a sentinel surveillance system for influenza-like illnesses and severe acute respiratory infections. According to China CDC data, the pathogens causing these infections are known ones, and they include the seasonal influenza virus, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), HMPV, and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).
Among the pathogens reported by China CDC, seasonal influenza is by far the most common and is increasing. WHO's Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) has registered rising trends in influenza in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is currently winter, across parts of Asia, Europe, Africa and a few countries in the Caribbean.
Regarding HMPV, the WHO said the virus is first discovered in 2001 - it is a common virus that circulates in winter and spring, usually causing respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold. In some cases, it can lead to more severe diseases like bronchitis or pneumonia. The youngest and the oldest are most at risk, along with those who are immunocompromised, that is, those who have weakened immune systems.
The positivity rate for influenza viruses is continuously rising, with more than 99 percent being influenza A, predominantly the A(H1N1) pdm09 subtype, according to the latest data from the China CDC. Traditional Chinese medicine methods are among the approaches recommended for flu prevention, said an expert at a press conference held by the National Health Commission on Sunday.
The level of influenza activity varies across regions, with a more noticeable rise in northern provinces, although it remains lower than the same period last year, showed the latest data released by China CDC for the week from December 23 to 29, 2024.
"Over the past two years, awareness of HMPV infections in China has grown despite the virus being first identified more than 20 years ago, and has been circulating among people for as long as 60 years. The increase of awareness is primarily due to the improvement in our country's respiratory pathogen detection capabilities and the increased public attention toward respiratory infectious diseases," Li Tongzeng, the chief physician of the infection department at Beijing You'an Hospital, told the Global Times.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, nucleic acid testing technology for respiratory pathogens has been significantly promoted in China, and many medical institutions can now conduct such tests, leading to an increase in detection rates for HMPV as well as other pathogens, Li said.
The expert added that another significant advancement in China regarding respiratory infections post-pandemic has been the establishment of a large number of sentinel hospitals to monitor respiratory pathogens.
"As a result, we are now able to see regular updates from the China CDC on the types of respiratory pathogens circulating. Additionally, drug stockpiles have significantly improved over the past two years," Li noted.
Xin Ming Zhu III, a high-speed carbon fiber passenger ferry with a seating capacity of 500, has been officially delivered in Hong Kong on Tuesday, making it a milestone in China's maritime innovation. The ferry is currently the largest carbon fiber vessel in China in terms of passenger capacity, according to the Science and Technology Daily.
This vessel is a carbon fiber, conventionally powered, high-speed passenger ferry featuring an advanced lightweight design, measuring 44.75 meters in length and 11 meters in width.
It has set a benchmark for sustainable and eco-friendly advancements in the maritime transport sector of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Carbon fiber materials provide superior advantages compared with metals such as lighter weight and corrosion resistance. Different from traditional ships, the carbon fiber vessel produces lower noise during operation, further saves fuel, reduces maintenance costs, and delivers substantial environmental benefits through reduced emissions and a lower carbon footprint.
Building upon a mature mother ship design, the vessel was optimized and upgraded to suit the characteristics of Hong Kong's outlying island routes. These improvements effectively enhance the structural strength, ensuring the vessel can withstand diverse operational conditions.
In addition, the ship offers enhanced navigability and operability, allowing it to safely operate in winds up to force 8.
It is also equipped with lithium battery packs and solar energy storage panels, ensuring the operation of essential electrical systems when docked, significantly cutting fuel consumption and emissions.
On November 4, the vessel had its maiden launch in Nansha, Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, reinforcing its role as a key player in Hong Kong's maritime network, according to Science and Technology Daily.
The vessel is the eighth in a series of 11 ships under the Hong Kong Outlying Islands project, commissioned to Guangzhou Shipbuilding Industry Corp, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, for passenger transport in Hong Kong waters.
Passenger ferries play a crucial role in transportation for residents and tourists in Hong Kong. Taking Cheung Chau as an example, over 30,000 residents rely on ferries to travel to and from the island. The daily passenger volume on the Central-Cheung Chau route can reach up to 70,000 people during events. The ferries operated by Hong Kong Sun Ferry Company serve approximately 12 million passengers annually, reported the Nanfang Daily.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has intensified its crackdown on internet trolls. Since 2024, authorities have removed over 400 websites and platforms, prompting major platforms to delete 4.82 million illegal messages, and disposed 52,000 groups and 2.39 million accounts and online stores, CCTV News reported on Friday.
The reason for the authorities to punish the "internet water army" stems from the fact that for some time, these paid posters have significantly disrupted the online ecosystem through various means, according to the report.
Some criminals have set up self-service ordering platforms, providing services to artificially inflate reviews, likes, and popularity on social media platforms and attempted to evade crackdowns by using multiple redirects and shell websites. Among these, some lure users into placing orders and making payments without providing the promised services. Others try to masquerade their apps as legitimate to pass app store reviews, while in reality, they provide services for traffic manipulation.
In response, concerned authorities have coordinated with several platforms specifically used by internet trolls to close, guiding app stores to take measures such as blocking or removing certain applications. As a result, over 400 illegal websites and platforms have been shut down.
Some website platforms struggle with widespread homogenized content, where multiple accounts publish highly similar posts, short videos, and other content, exploiting trending topics to drive traffic and stir divisive sentiments. Some Multi-Channel Network (MCN) organizations have even organized accounts to engage in hype for profit, severely damaging the online ecosystem.
The CAC has imposed administrative penalties on websites and platforms with severe issues and insufficient rectification efforts, requiring them to thoroughly investigate problems and strictly deal with illegal accounts and MCN organizations. Currently, the relevant website platforms have improved their risk models for homogenized content as required, enhancing their ability to identify such cases, said the report.
In addition, some criminals have been using modified formats to post recruitment ads, attracting netizens to join groups to engage in illegal activities related to internet marketers. Among them, some criminals used buzzwords like "easy money" to add friends, then demanded membership fees, effectively committing fraud.
Under the guidance of the CAC, related website platforms have proactively conducted inspections and cleanups, lawfully shutting down illegal accounts and dissolving groups, and forwarding evidence of criminal activity to law enforcement authorities.
For increasingly sophisticated tactics employed by internet trolls, such as using short videos to post QR codes for traffic generation and peddling illegal internet water army services to users through chat and Q&A channels, CAC has urged relevant website platforms to close their shops and accounts, guiding some popular platforms to enhance cross-platform clue sharing and collaborate in combating the issue of internet marketers.
CCTV News also said that some lawbreakers routinely deploy bot accounts to flood comment sections with posts, taking the opportunity to boost rankings and create trending topics. Certain software tools have developed AI writing, group control of accounts, and bulk posting, enabling internet trolls to manipulate accounts and fabricate trending topics.
In response, the CAC has urged website platforms to address non-compliant accounts in line with legal and regulatory requirements, cooperating with relevant authorities to investigate AI tool-related internet water army groups. The authorities have also guided platforms to enhance their technical measures to detect and neutralize group control software and bot accounts promptly to effectively mitigate risks.
The CAC has implemented a long-term governance framework targeting internet trolls in collaboration with multiple departments, strengthening the coordination between administrative penalties and criminal prosecutions, and establishing a collaborative framework to jointly tackle the issue, further improving the online environment.
China consistently respects Panama's sovereignty over the Panama Canal while acknowledging its role as a permanently neutral international passageway, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday, in response a question about US president-elect Donald Trump's claim that there are Chinese soldiers stationed at the Panama Canal.
Mao also emphasized Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino's latest statement that the Panama Canal is not under direct or indirect control of any major power.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has denied claims of Donald Trump that there are Chinese soldiers stationed at the Panama Canal, dismissing the claim as "nonsense" and asserting that there is "absolutely no Chinese interference," according to the BBC.
"There is not a single Chinese soldier in the canal," he told reporters in Panama City.
Mulino also rejected the possibility of reducing tolls for US ships or ceding control of the canal, the BBC report said. "The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians. There's no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality," he said.
The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region section of the Hepu-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway began construction on Sunday. Upon its completion, it will become a convenient and fast channel to the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, Pearl River Delta and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), according to China Central Television (CCTV) on Sunday.
The Hepu-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway is 139.33 kilometers long, designed for a speed of 350 kilometer per hour, with the Beihai section in Guangxi spanning 62.68 kilometers, CCTV reported.
Once completed, the railway will boost ties between the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta strengthen east-west cooperation in Guangxi, support integration into new development patterns, and enhance its role as a strategic hub for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA and "dual-circulation" development pattern, according to the report.
Also, the Longmen Bridge in Guangxi, the longest sea-crossing bridge in the region, opened to traffic that same day, the Xinhua News Agency reported. After opening, the travel time between Fangchenggang Port and Qinzhou Port has been reduced from 1.5 hours to approximately 25 minutes.
Spanning a total length of 7.637 kilometers, the Longmen Bridge boasts a first-class, six-lane highway and a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
Besides the bridge, the opening of the Nanning-Yulin section of the Nanning-Zhuhai High-Speed Railway on Monday also marks Yulin's entry into the high-speed rail era. The fastest rail travel time between Nanning and Yulin has been reduced from one hour and 44 minutes to just 48 minutes, injecting new momentum into regional economic and social development, according to the People's Daily.
The Nanning-Zhuhai High-Speed Railway stretches from Nanning, Guangxi in the west to Zhuhai, Guangdong in the east, covering a total length of approximately 648 kilometers with a design speed of 350 kilometers an hour. The newly opened Nanning-Yulin section begins from Nanning East Station and ends at Yulin North Station, spanning a total of 193 kilometers.
Holding significant importance in the regional railway network, this section is a vital part of the rapid passenger transportation corridor connecting the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA.
Upon operation, the project will further improve the regional rail network layout, greatly enhance travel convenience for residents along the route, and play a crucial role in promoting regional economic and social development, strengthening connectivity, and driving high-quality development in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone.
As the only region in western China directly bordering the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA and connected to it through land, sea, and river channels, Guangxi is leveraging its role as a "strategic hinterland" to accelerate integration with the GBA, according to Xinhua.
The US has long illegally occupied part of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, engaging in arbitrary detention and torture at Guantanamo prison, violating international law and harming Cuba's sovereignty, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Friday regarding recent US detainee transfers out of Guantanamo prison.
The international community, including the United Nations, has repeatedly expressed concern over this issue, calling for the US to close Guantanamo prison and provide justice to the detainees. The US has repeatedly gone back on its word regarding the closure of this American-style concentration camp, further eroding the US' proclaimed standards of human rights, the spokesperson said.
The US has moved detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay to Kenya and Malaysia, the Pentagon announced this week, CNN reported.
There are 29 prisoners still detained at Guantánamo Bay, according to US Department of Defense.
Lin further stated that Guantanamo prison is a long-standing wound for Cuba and concrete evidence of over a century of illegal US interference in Cuba. While arbitrarily detaining individuals at Guantanamo, it also places Cuba on its so-called "state sponsors of terrorism" list. The international community clearly sees the hypocrisy of this double standard.
China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity, and opposes US interference in Cuba's internal affairs, Lin added, urging the US to end its illegal occupation, lift its blockade, close Guantanamo prison, withdraw from the base, return the land to Cuba, and remove Cuba from its "state sponsors of terrorism" list.
China's top legislature on Saturday started a regular session to review a raft of bills including law drafts and reports.
Zhao Leji, chairman of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presided over the first plenary meeting of the committee's 13th session.
Lawmakers reviewed a draft value-added tax law, a draft national park law, a draft law on the publicity and education regarding the rule of law, a draft private sector promotion law, and a draft hazardous chemicals safety law.
They deliberated a draft amendment to the law on people's congress deputies, a draft amendment to the supervision law, a draft revision to science and technology popularization law, a draft revision to the anti-unfair competition law, and a draft revision to the fisheries law.
Lawmakers also reviewed a draft decision on convening the third session of the 14th NPC, reports on the handling of the suggestions, criticisms and comments submitted by lawmakers at the second session of the 14th NPC, a deputy qualification report, and personnel-related bills, among others.
Du Zhaocai, former deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China and former Party secretary of the Chinese Football Association, was on Friday sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined 4 million yuan ($550,000) for accepting bribes worth over 43 million yuan.
The Wuhan Intermediate People's Court in Central China's Hubei Province publicly sentenced Du, in a first-instance trial for accepting bribes on Friday, according to the CCTV news.
The Wuhan Intermediate People's Court found that the defendant, Du Zhaocai, had committed the crime of accepting bribes, with an amount that was particularly large, and should be punished according to the law.
Du used his position to seek improper benefits for football clubs in matters such as relocating home stadiums and player transfers, severely disrupting the fair competition order and industry environment in the football field. He also sought job promotions and adjustments for others, which warranted a heavier sentence.
Given that he truthfully confessed his crimes after being taken into custody and proactively disclosed parts of his bribery activities that had not been previously known to the supervision authorities, and considering that there were attempted bribery incidents in his case, as well as his remorse and active return of illicit funds, with all bribe money, property, and derived income having been recovered, the court decided to impose a lighter sentence.
During the trial, the prosecution presented relevant evidence, and the defendant Du and his defense lawyer cross-examined it.
Both the prosecution and defense fully expressed their opinions under the court's guidance. Du made a final statement, admitting his guilt and expressing remorse.
