Latest news with #kindergarten
Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Six arrested, dozens investigated over use of toxic paint to brighten food in China kindergarten
BEIJING, July 22 — Chinese authorities have arrested six people and are investigating 27 others after more than 230 children at a kindergarten in Gansu province were poisoned by food coloured with industrial-grade lead paint. An official investigation released on Sunday found severe failures in oversight, food safety, and attempts to cover up the incident, including bribery and falsification of test results, The Guardian reported. The principal of Brownstone Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui allegedly sought to attract more enrolments by making food look more appealing using non-edible pigment bought online. Despite clear warnings that the pigment was 'not for consumption,' the school's cook added it to children's meals, preferring its 'brighter' hues to safer, cheaper food-grade alternatives. One pigment used in the food contained lead levels that exceeded legal limits by 400,000 times, according to the Gansu provincial party committee report. Initially, 235 children were hospitalised after consuming the tainted food, showing symptoms including nausea, stomach pain, and discoloured teeth, with later tests confirming 247 people had elevated blood lead levels. Six kindergarten staff, including the principal, now face criminal charges for knowingly serving toxic food, while 27 others from the school, hospital and government are under disciplinary review. The report also revealed that the Gansu Provincial Centre for Disease Control mishandled the case and conducted tests improperly, leading to results that did not reflect actual exposure. At least two test results at Tianshui Second People's Hospital were deliberately altered to show falsely low lead levels, while the hospital was described as poorly managed and lacking proper training. Parents reportedly protested outside the kindergarten on Sunday night, clashing with police and demanding accountability, as authorities promised further investigations into corruption, misconduct, and regulatory failures at every level.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Arrests in China after more than 230 kindergarten children poisoned by lead paint in food
Chinese authorities have arrested six people and launched disciplinary investigations into almost 30 others after more than 230 kindergarten children were poisoned by food coloured with industrial-grade lead paint The incident, which occurred in Gansu province earlier this month, is one of China's worst ever school food safety incidents and has drawn national attention. An investigative report released by the Gansu provincial party committee on Sunday found a litany of failures in safety and oversight, as well as attempts to cover up the incident, bribe people in charge and modify test results. The report said the principal at the Tianshui kindergarten had wanted to attract more enrolments by 'enhancing' the colour and look of the food served to children. The school's cook bought industrial-grade pigment online, adding it to dishes despite the packages saying it was 'not for consumption'. One pigment was found to have lead levels 400,000 times the safe legal limit. The report said the school had previously bought food-safe colouring, at a cheaper cost, but preferred the 'brighter' colours. READ MORE Initially 235 students were hospitalised after eating the coloured food. Local state media quoted a parent at the time saying children had suffered stomach pain and nausea, and some children's teeth had turned black. Final tests revealed that 247 students, as well as staff including the principal, had elevated lead levels in their blood as a result of eating the food. Six kindergarten staff, including the principal, have been arrested, accused of knowingly serving toxic and harmful food. Disciplinary investigations have been launched into the actions of 27 others working for the school, hospital and government. However, Sunday's report revealed mistakes and mishandling at almost every level of the process and response. It said the Gansu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention neglected the case after accepting it, and took samples in a way that violated health regulations and led to a 'huge difference' in the test results and the actual levels. At the Tianshui Second People's hospital, at least two children's test results were illegally 'modified' to record substantially lower lead levels, the report said. 'The management of Tianshui Second People's hospital and its laboratory department was chaotic, job responsibilities were not fully implemented, laboratory quality control was not fully implemented and relevant inspection personnel lacked systematic training,' the report said. It also accused the local education bureau of having 'turned a blind eye' to the kindergarten – which charges high fees – operating without a proper licence, and not conducting food safety inspections at any private kindergarten for two years. It said officials in charge of preschool education across multiple departments were suspected of accepting benefits and bribes from the Tianshui kindergarten's major investor and others linked to the school. The report said China's top anti-corruption authorities had filed a case for review and investigation against government officials of multiple levels, and opened an investigation into senior management at the hospital. It said the children had been treated and all but one had been discharged after the first round of treatment, during which lead levels dropped by an average of 40 per cent. 'The provincial party committee and the provincial government are deeply saddened by the abnormal blood lead problem in the Brownstone Peixin Kindergarten in Maiji district, Tianshui city, and express their deep apologies to the children and their parents,' the report said. The release of the report was accompanied by reported protests by parents on Sunday evening outside the kindergarten. Footage shared online by Teacher Li, who monitors dissent inside China, claimed to show clashes between police and a few hundred people outside the Tianshui kindergarten. The footage showed officers using physical force, including batons, and angry parents confronting individuals in plain clothes, questioning their use of violence. As police cars appeared to try to escort the plain-clothed individuals away, parents blocked the road, shouting: 'Hand over those who beat people up.' - Guardian
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Arrests in China after more than 230 kindergarten children poisoned by lead paint in food
Chinese authorities have arrested six people and launched disciplinary investigations into almost 30 others after more than 230 kindergarten children were poisoned by food coloured with industrial-grade lead paint The incident, which occurred in Gansu province earlier this month, is one of China's worst ever school food safety incidents and has drawn national attention. An investigative report released by the Gansu provincial party committee on Sunday found a litany of failures in safety and oversight, as well as attempts to cover up the incident, bribe people in charge and modify test results. The report said the principal at the Tianshui kindergarten had wanted to attract more enrolments by 'enhancing' the colour and look of the food served to children. The school's cook bought industrial-grade pigment online, adding it to dishes despite the packages saying it was 'not for consumption'. One pigment was found to have lead levels 400,000 times the safe legal limit. The report said the school had previously bought food-safe colouring, at a cheaper cost, but preferred the 'brighter' colours. Initially 235 students were hospitalised after eating the coloured food. Local state media quoted a parent at the time saying children had suffered stomach pain and nausea, and some children's teeth had turned black. Final tests revealed that 247 students, as well as staff including the principal, had elevated lead levels in their blood as a result of eating the food. Six kindergarten staff, including the principal, have been arrested, accused of knowingly serving toxic and harmful food. Disciplinary investigations have been launched into the actions of 27 others working for the school, hospital and government. However, Sunday's report revealed mistakes and mishandling at almost every level of the process and response. It said the Gansu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention neglected the case after accepting it, and took samples in a way that violated health regulations and led to a 'huge difference' in the test results and the actual levels. At the Tianshui Second People's hospital, at least two children's test results were illegally 'modified' to record substantially lower lead levels, the report said. 'The management of Tianshui Second People's hospital and its laboratory department was chaotic, job responsibilities were not fully implemented, laboratory quality control was not fully implemented and relevant inspection personnel lacked systematic training,' the report said. It also accused the local education bureau of having 'turned a blind eye' to the kindergarten – which charges high fees – operating without a proper licence, and not conducting food safety inspections at any private kindergarten for two years. It said officials in charge of preschool education across multiple departments were suspected of accepting benefits and bribes from the Tianshui kindergarten's major investor and others linked to the school. The report said China's top anti-corruption authorities had filed a case for review and investigation against government officials of multiple levels, and opened an investigation into senior management at the hospital. It said the children had been treated and all but one had been discharged after the first round of treatment, during which lead levels dropped by an average of 40%. 'The provincial party committee and the provincial government are deeply saddened by the abnormal blood lead problem in the Brownstone Peixin Kindergarten in Maiji district, Tianshui city, and express their deep apologies to the children and their parents,' the report said. The release of the report was accompanied by reported protests by parents on Sunday evening outside the kindergarten. Footage shared online by Teacher Li, who monitors dissent inside China, claimed to show clashes between police and a few hundred people outside the Tianshui kindergarten. The footage showed officers using physical force, including batons, and angry parents confronting individuals in plain clothes, questioning their use of violence. As police cars appeared to try to escort the plain-clothed individuals away, parents blocked the road, shouting: 'Hand over those who beat people up.' Additional research by Lillian Yang
The Sun
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Ukrainian kindergarten hit by Putin missile as pics show giant crater in playground & rubble strewn across naptime beds
A KINDERGARTEN was destroyed by one of Vladimir Putin's missiles in another ruthless strike that laid bare the tyrant's war on Ukraine's children. The missile slammed into the building in Kyiv — leaving a gaping crater where toddlers once played and naptime beds buried under dust. 8 8 8 8 Heartbreaking images from nursery and kindergarten N706 in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district revealed the shattered remains of what was once a bright and joyful sanctuary. Tiny beds with purple throws turned grey as they were coated in ash. Fire-blackened doors hanging from their hinges. Walls once painted with fairytale castles and smiling flowers are now just a faint reminder of brighter, peaceful days. A broken window now frames a colourful wall drawing, eerily untouched by the chaos around it. Outside, the light blue walls of the school still stand, but windows have been blasted out and debris now chokes the floor and stairways. A man is seen carefully sweeping glass shards from a windowsill. Meanwhile, a woman walks her dog past the wreckage as a little girl stands, silent, beside her — staring at the ruins of the school. The strike was a part of a 10-hour Russian aerial blitz that saw 426 drones and 24 missiles hurled across Ukraine overnight. Kyiv bore the brunt of the assault, as explosions lit up the capital's skyline, forcing families underground once again. Warped Russian state TV parades 'drone death factory' packed with kamikaze killing machines after Ukraine blitzes Moscow The missile that hit the kindergarten came as Mad Vlad unleashed yet another wave of destruction across civilian areas. It marked the second time in three days that NATO fighter jets were scrambled in response to the bombardments. Ukrainian officials said at least 15 people were injured, including a 12-year-old boy, in the barrage. Subway stations turned into makeshift shelters as drones buzzed through the air above Kyiv. Homes and commercial buildings were caught in the onslaught, with rescuers racing between four districts to sift through wreckage and aid the wounded. 8 8 8 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed recovery, saying: 'Rescue and emergency efforts are underway in our cities and communities following the Russian attack… 'The waves of attacks lasted all night and continued into the morning.' The strikes came amid growing fears that Putin is preparing for an even deadlier chapter in this war. According to German Major General Christian Freuding, Moscow is plotting a mass drone assault involving 2,000 Shahed drones, in a bid to overwhelm Ukraine's already strained air defences. The general warned: 'We have uncovered worrying intelligence… [Russia is] significantly expanding its weapons production capacity.' Chilling footage aired on Russian state TV showed teenagers working in a so-called 'drone death factory,' with Moscow boasting about the 'huge, bright workshops' churning out kamikaze drones by the hundreds. Meanwhile, Ukraine has not remained passive. Kyiv's own drone army valiantly struck Moscow for the fifth night in a row, wreaking havoc at major airports and delaying over 400 flights as Russia's defences scrambled to respond. 8
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
As a male kinder teacher I agree more needs to be done to protect children. But the solution is not to vilify people like me
My name is David, and I am a kindergarten teacher. Every time I read another headline about Joshua Dale Brown, my stomach drops. It's not just the horror of the allegations themselves – though that's devastating enough. It's knowing that the parents of the children I teach are reading these same articles. It's imagining the quiet alarm they must feel, the questions they might not voice, the shadows of doubt that may now creep into what used to be trust. It's deeply personal. I know that as a man working in early childhood education, I already carry a weight of suspicion that my female colleagues never have to shoulder. I see the difference when I'm introduced at enrolment interviews. I am acutely aware of it when I approach a child crying in the yard. I feel the hesitation, however slight, before a parent leaves their child with me for the first time – not always, but often enough. And I get it – I do. We live in a world that has given them reason to be cautious. But it doesn't make it any less painful to live beneath that constant cloud of implication. What's unbearable is watching that cloud darken when allegations like those Brown is accused of surface. Suddenly, my choice to devote my professional life to the education and wellbeing of young children is subject to renewed scrutiny. Not for the quality of my care, my experience, or my qualifications – but because of my gender. Then along comes commentary suggesting my mere presence in this field is 'an uncomfortable truth'. That somehow, simply by being male, my motivations must be questioned, that perhaps there is something unnatural or dangerous in my desire to work with children. But it is worth considering the human impact of such claims. There are thousands of male educators like me, already battling systemic underrepresentation, isolation and the persistent pressure to prove we are safe, kind and worthy of trust. I have a seven-year-old son. He still believes the world is mostly good. Thankfully, he's not reading the news or some of the commentary around this case yet. But if he did – if he saw articles implying that men like his dad might only work with children because of deviant desires, what would that teach him about masculinity, about care, about empathy? And what are we teaching society when we double down on suspicion rather than taking a wider, structural view? The issue is not that men work in early childhood education. The issue is that predators can exist in every profession and our systems of oversight, training and reporting need to be stronger – not more discriminatory. I agree much more needs to be done to protect children. That's the very reason I do this work. But the solution is not to vilify or pathologise men who choose to care for and educate young children. The solution is to overhaul a fractured system – starting with the ridiculous patchwork of state-based regulations governing early childhood education and care in Australia. We need a unified, national approach that ensures consistency, accountability and support – for children and educators alike. We need robust, mandatory training in child protection for all educators, regardless of gender. We need professional standards that uphold child safety and the dignity of workers. We need appropriate reward and remuneration to encourage the very best to answer the call of early childhood education. And we need to acknowledge that good men in this field are not the problem – they are part of the solution. The toll of being a male early childhood educator is growing heavier. Not because I'm not proud of what I do – I am. Every day I see the positive impact I have in the lives of the children I teach. I see the bonds we build, the confidence they gain, the joy we share. But I'm tired of having to explain myself. I'm tired of the quiet stigma. And I'm angry that sensational headlines and speculative think-pieces chip away at the fragile progress we've made. Children deserve the best educators – regardless of gender. And the men who choose to work in this field deserve to do so without being seen as threats. Until we address this cultural bias and build a system that truly values care and education, we will keep failing both the children and the educators who care for them. David Kelly is a kindergarten teacher in Victoria
