Showing 1 - 9 of 9
The wrong way to deal with doping
News, Adam Minter, Published on 04/02/2019
» At odds over trade, technology and geopolitics, the US and China do share one thing: They both "hate" doping, in the words of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China reportedly plans to make the practice a crime. And last week in Washington, DC, a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers also introduced legislation to criminalise the use of performance-enhancing drugs at international sporting competitions such as the Olympics. Athletes caught doping could be subject to five years in prison, a US$250,000 (7.8 million baht) fine and a civil lawsuit from competitors bested in the final standings. They wouldn't have to be US citizens, either. The legislation is specifically designed to hold accountable foreign cheats who beat American athletes in international competition.
Old phones may pose a 'security risk'
News, Adam Minter, Published on 12/11/2018
» That obsolete smartphone stashed away in a drawer or closet may not look like a national security risk, but the Trump administration is contemplating treating it as one.
Southeast Asia's 'fake news' laws are a fake solution
News, Adam Minter, Published on 26/05/2018
» In the waning days of Malaysia's recent election campaign, then-opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad was investigated under the country's anti-fake news law. Had he been charged and convicted, he could have spent as much as six years in prison. Instead, Dr Mahathir was elected prime minister with a pledge to repeal the law.
Women in work key to China fertility
News, Adam Minter, Published on 24/05/2018
» China is home currently to 241 million people over the age of 60, approximately 17% of the population. By 2050, the elderly will number around 500 million and account for more than one-third of the population. According to a report on Monday by Bloomberg News, the Chinese government has grown so alarmed by these developments that it's preparing to scrap all limits on the number of children that a family can have. By early next year, the infamous one-child and -- more recently -- two-child policies should be no more.
China's anti-addiction drive may ruin video games
News, Adam Minter, Published on 11/07/2017
» Shareholders of Tencent Holdings Ltd, the world's biggest video game company, panicked last week. People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, singled out Honour of Kings, Tencent's biggest game, for an unusually high-profile criticism.
Beijing wants GMOs but the Chinese people don't
News, Adam Minter, Published on 29/09/2016
» The latest food safety scandal in China might be its most damaging. Earlier this week, a former doctoral student at one of the country's national testing centres for genetically modified organisms went public with allegations of scientific fraud, including claims that records were doctored extensively, that unqualified personnel were employed under illegal contracts and -- most seriously -- that authorities refused to take action when his concerns were aired privately.
Despite anger, Beijing isn't in the mood for protests
News, Adam Minter, Published on 15/07/2016
» Chinese didn't waste any time venting their anger at The Hague's ruling against their country's territorial claims in the South China Sea. Within minutes of the news, Chinese social media was flooded with thousands of comments parroting a testy, often profane nationalism.
Plans for big science face big hurdles
News, Adam Minter, Published on 10/11/2015
» As in so many other things, China's seeking to play a leading role in 21st century science. And it's using a familiar weapon: money.
Putting traditional Chinese medicine to the test
News, Adam Minter, Published on 17/09/2015
» Toad skins and turtle shells aren't the cures most westerners turn to when they learn they've developed cancer. But in China, the market for traditional remedies like these grew 35% last year, twice as fast as the overall anti-cancer market. Though the effectiveness of these treatments is unproven, Western doctors, elite medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies are starting to put them to the scientific test.