Humanoid robots broke a half-marathon record held by a human runner during a sports event in Beijing on Sunday, highlighting the unpredictable potential of their capabilities. 4月19日，在北京舉行的一場體育賽事中，人形機器人打破了人類選手保持的半程馬拉鬆紀錄，凸顯出其能力發展的巨大潛力。 "Flash", a robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, won the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon, taking 50 minutes and 26 seconds to finish the 21-kilometer race on Sunday morning. 由中國智能手機制造商榮耀研發的機器人"閃電"，在週日上午舉行的2026北京亦莊半程馬拉鬆暨人形機器人半程馬拉鬆賽中奪冠，以50分26秒的成績跑完21公里賽程。 The previous human record was 57 minutes and 20 seconds, which was set by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo in March in Lisbon, Portugal. 此前的人類紀錄為57分20秒，由烏干達選手雅各布·基普利莫今年3月在葡萄牙里斯本創造。 The performance was a significant step forward from last year's inaugural race, during which the winning robot finished in 2 hours,...
The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said that the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked since Saturday evening and will not reopen until the United States lifts its naval blockade on the waterway. 伊朗伊斯蘭革命衛隊海軍宣布，霍爾木茲海峽自上週六晚間起已被封鎖，在美國解除對該水道的海上封鎖前不會恢復通行。 In a statement carried by its official news outlet Sepah News, the IGRC said that the move came after the United States violated its commitments under the two-week ceasefire, which took effect on April 8, and failed to end its naval blockade against Iranian vessels and ports. 據革命衛隊官方通訊社賽帕新聞發布的聲明稱，此舉系因美方違反4月8日生效的為期兩週停火協議，未能終止針對伊朗船只及港口的海上封鎖行動。 The IRGC Navy called on all vessels and their owners to follow official updates via its channel and VHF Channel 16, the international maritime distress, safety, and calling frequency. The statements by US President Donald Trump hold no credibility in the strait and...
China's economic growth accelerated to 5 percent in the first quarter of 2026 despite mounting external uncertainties, underscoring that the resilience of the world's second-largest economy is underpinned by its vast domestic market, officials and experts said on Thursday. Domestic demand contributed more than four-fifths of GDP growth, they said, with investment returning to positive growth and inflation picking up — a trend expected to anchor steady economic expansion in the coming months. However, analysts cautioned that the recovery in domestic demand may not yet be on firm footing, given the slowdown in household income growth and continued pressures from elevated international energy costs, highlighting the need for ramping up targeted policy support. China's GDP came in at 33.42 trillion yuan ($4.9 trillion) in the first quarter, growing 5 percent year-on-year in real terms and 0.5 percentage point faster than the fourth quarter of 2025, the National Bureau of Statisti...
This episode explores the creative and evolving ways people are integrating reading into their daily lives. Against the backdrop of new public reading regulations, the hosts discuss how the act of reading is moving beyond the traditional quiet study—breaking free from physical scenes and the reliance on eyes alone. Through personal anecdotes and observations, they examine how commuters, busy workers, and curious minds are embracing audiobooks, cooking their way through classic novels, and even stepping into stories via virtual reality. The conversation highlights a joyful rebellion against algorithmic recommendations through book blind boxes and ultimately reframes reading not as a heavy, formal task, but as a softer, more accessible activity woven into the fabric of everyday life.
The Beijing-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway's Xiong'an-Shangqiu section in Hebei province entered the commissioning and testing phase on Wednesday, marking a key step in the country's "eight vertical and eight horizontal" high-speed rail network, according to China Railway Beijing Group. 京港高鐵雄安至商丘段河北境內線路昨日正式進入聯調聯試階段，標志著國家"八縱八橫"高鐵網建設取得重要進展。 The 552-kilometer section, designed for speeds of 350 kilometers per hour, connects Xiong'an New Area in Hebei with Shangqiu in neighboring Henan province. It is an important part of the Beijing-Hong Kong corridor and will enhance the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei rail network while supporting the development of Xiong'an New Area, authorities said. 據中國鐵路北京局集團消息，該段線路全長552公里，設計時速350公里，連接河北雄安新區與河南商丘，是京港高鐵通道的重要組成部分，建成后將進一步完善京津冀軌道交通網絡，有力支撐雄安新區建設發展。 Construction of the Hebei section started in September 2022. 河北段工程於2022...
Lululemon Athletica Inc said products currently sold in China do not contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), amid rising consumer concern following a Texas investigation into the potential presence of toxic chemicals in its apparel. 運動服飾品牌露露樂蒙（Lululemon Athletica Inc）近日表示，目前在中國市場銷售的產品均不含全氟和多氟烷基物質（PFAS）。此前美國得克薩斯州對其服裝產品可能含有毒化學物質展開調查，引發消費者廣泛關注。 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into the company, issuing a Civil Investigative Demand to Lululemon's US unit to examine whether it misled consumers about product safety, quality, and potential health effects, according to a statement released April 13. 得克薩斯州總檢察長肯·帕克斯頓4月13日發布聲明稱，已對露露樂蒙啟動調查程序，並向該公司美國分部發出民事調查令，重點核查其在產品安全、質量及潛在健康影響方面是否存在誤導消費者的行為。 In response to inquiries, Lululemon China said it "always places the health and safety of it...
ShanghaiRanking, a higher education consultancy, released the 2026 Best Chinese Universities list on Tuesday. Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Zhejiang University secured the top three positions in the comprehensive universities category. 高等教育谘詢機構軟科於4月14日發布了"2026軟科中國大學排名"。在綜合性大學排名中，清華大學、北京大學和浙江大學位列前三。 This annual ranking, initiated in 2015, evaluates over 1,000 institutions that offer undergraduate courses across China. The institutions are assessed across categories, including comprehensive universities, eight specialized universities, and four private universities. 該項年度排名始於2015年，評估範圍覆蓋全國1000余所開設本科教育的高校，涵蓋綜合性大學、8類單科性大學及4類非公辦大學。 The main list for comprehensive universities features 590 institutions. Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Zhejiang University have retained the top three spots for the 12th consecutive year, while Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fu...
Beijing's municipal authorities say they will not cut down the city's mature poplar and willow trees despite the annual "catkin nuisance", arguing that the ecological benefits of the towering trees cannot be easily replaced. 北京市有關部門表示，儘管每年都會出現"楊柳飛絮困擾"，但不會砍伐城市中已長成的楊樹和柳樹，理由是這些高大樹木帶來的生態效益難以輕易替代。 "Because of their outstanding advantages — fast growth, dense shade, strong carbon sequestration, and low cost — large-scale or onetime removal of mature poplar and willow trees is not feasible," said Jiang Yingshu, director of the science and technology division at the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau. 北京市園林綠化局科技處處長薑英淑表示："楊樹柳樹具有生長迅速、遮蔭效果好、固碳能力強、成本低廉等顯著優勢，對已成年的楊樹柳樹進行大規模或一次性移除並不可行。" Jiang noted that trees with a diameter of 30 centimeters are typically 30 to 40 years old. Replacing them with saplings of five to six centimeters would take anot...
Meeting: Spain supports enhanced dialogue 會晤：西班牙支持加強對話 China and Spain expressed on Tuesday their commitment to advancing their ties with strategic resolve and vowed to work together to uphold multilateralism amid threats to the world order. 4月14日，中國與西班牙表示將以戰略定力推進雙邊關系發展，並誓言在世界秩序面臨威脅之際攜手維護多邊主義。 The pledges were made during talks between President Xi Jinping and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is on a five-day official visit to Beijing — his fourth visit to China in four consecutive years. Sanchez will wrap up his tour on Wednesday. 國家主席習近平與西班牙首相佩德羅·桑切斯在京舉行會談時作出上述承諾。這是桑切斯連續第四年訪華，其為期五天的正式訪問將於15日結束。 Noting that today's turbulent world faces the struggle between right and might, Xi called on both China and Spain, as countries that value principle and moral integrity, to enhance communication, consolidate mutual trust and strengthen cooperation to oppose t...
Washington's announcement of a naval blockade targeting maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports — halting "all passage" linked to Iran — marks a new escalation in a crisis already teetering on the edge. Although the US Central Command insists that freedom of navigation for non-Iranian ports remains intact, such distinctions collapse quickly in a narrow waterway. Reports describe a near standstill in shipping. 華盛頓宣布對進出伊朗港口的海上交通實施海上封鎖，停止與伊朗相關的"一切通行"，標志著這場本已岌岌可危的危機出現新的升級。儘管美國中央司令部堅稱，前往非伊朗港口的航行自由不受影響，但在狹窄水道中，這種區分很快便名存實亡。據報道，航運已幾乎陷入停滯。 The result is a paradox: a waterway Washington vowed to reopen for the world is now closed even tighter by the US itself. 這種結果顯然是一種悖論：美國曾誓言要為世界重新開放的航道，如今卻被美國自己封鎖得更加嚴實。 This escalation comes at a delicate moment. The first round of face-to-face talks between Washington and Tehran in Islama...