Briefly

Ex-bank official given death with reprieve

Zhang Hongli, former vice-president of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, was sentenced to death on Wednesday, with a two-year reprieve, for accepting bribes. He was found to have taken bribes worth over 177 million yuan ($24.3 million) from 2011 to 2022, according to a court in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Zhang was deprived of political rights for life, his personal property will be confiscated and all illegal gains must be recovered and turned over to the state treasury, the court sentence read. The court ruled that he had taken advantage of his former positions to assist others in matters such as loan financing and personnel arrangements, while accepting bribes in return.

Van-truck collision kills 6 in Guangxi

Six people were killed and two others were injured in a traffic accident on Wednesday in the county of Tengxian in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to local authorities. The accident happened at around 5 am on a national highway in the county when a minivan collided with a semi-trailer truck. The crash resulted in four fatalities at the scene and two additional deaths despite rescue efforts, according to the public security bureau of Tengxian. An investigation into the cause of the accident is currently underway.

Former legislator charged with bribery

Li Xiangang, former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Congress, has been charged with bribery and embezzlement, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Wednesday. The Dalian Municipal People's Procuratorate in Liaoning province filed the case with the city's intermediate people's court following an investigation by the National Commission of Supervision. Prosecutors alleged that Li abused his positions in Heilongjiang to secure benefits for others in exchange for an extremely large amount of bribes, according to the SPP.

Beijing to share air pollution control tips

Beijing will share its best practices in battling air pollution with its sister city Bangkok, capital of Thailand, according to a memorandum of understanding recently signed by environment authorities of these two cities. The Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau and the Environment Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration signed, via video, the MoU on Air Quality Monitoring and Management Cooperation, in line with the 50th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic relations. This MoU, spanning a time frame of three years, states that Beijing will share its best practices with Bangkok in battling air pollution, particularly in monitoring and reducing PM2.5 pollutants.

Smart underwater data center activated

China has activated a groundbreaking underwater intelligent computing cluster off the coast of its southernmost province of Hainan, marking a significant leap forward in sustainable high-performance computing. A new data module was deployed on the seabed off the coast of Lingshui, Hainan on Tuesday morning. It established a connection with the existing underwater data center, first launched in 2023, to create a cluster for the intelligent computing center, China Media Group reported. The newly installed facility is capable of housing over 400 high-performance servers. With this new facility in place, the cluster now delivers computing power equivalent to 30,000 high-end gaming PCs, processing a year's worth of calculations for an average computer in just one second.

Xinhua