China shuts down factory

China has closed a factory in its northwest which is suspected of causing lead poisoning in more than 300 children, state media said.

China's pollution and lax product safety standards have long been a source of tension and unrest, particularly when parents or residents of pollution hotspots - dubbed "cancer villages" because of high rates of the disease - feel their worries are being ignored.

The sick children all live near the Changqing industrial park in Shaanxi province and parents have pointed at a lead and zinc smelting plant inside.