Inkstone
507 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★ - 9 ratingsA daily digest of the top China stories.
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Episodes
Coronavirus outbreak in France did not come directly from China or Italy, study says
April 29, 2020 11:04 - 3 minutes - 1.67 MBFrench scientists sequenced coronavirus genomes in the country and found that the outbreak in France was unlikely to have come from people who had recently visited China or Italy.
Will coronavirus pandemic change China’s role in the global economy?
April 29, 2020 11:04 - 6 minutes - 2.92 MBChina is staring at an unfriendly world after the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s determined to keep playing a central role in the global economy.
Migrant workers struggle to find jobs as pandemic hits China’s factories
April 29, 2020 11:04 - 6 minutes - 2.86 MBIn one of China’s manufacturing hubs, factories are getting no orders and migrant workers are left without jobs.
Can viruses escape from a super-secure laboratory?
April 28, 2020 11:25 - 5 minutes - 2.6 MBLab accidents have happened in the past. But scientists say it is extremely rare for viruses to be leaked from facilities designed to handle deadly pathogens.
This Chinese city’s coronavirus comeback shows challenges of opening up
April 28, 2020 11:25 - 4 minutes - 1.93 MBThe northeastern city of Harbin thought it could breathe a sigh of relief, but then a new spike of cases appeared. Public health experts say its experience is likely to be repeated elsewhere.
China's aggressive diplomacy may be backfiring
April 28, 2020 11:25 - 5 minutes - 2.41 MBChina’s chest-thumping diplomats are fighting a battle to change the coronavirus narrative, but their efforts could make matters worse.
China’s aggressive diplomacy may be backfiring
April 28, 2020 11:25 - 5 minutes - 2.41 MBChina’s chest-thumping diplomats are fighting a battle to change the coronavirus narrative, but their efforts could make matters worse.
The post-coronavirus world doesn’t look good for China
April 27, 2020 10:34 - 9 minutes - 4.32 MBCountries across the world are becoming more wary of China as the coronavirus batters economies. No country more so than the United States.
Wuhan free of Covid-19 after months-long nightmare
April 27, 2020 10:34 - 3 minutes - 1.74 MBThe city where Covid-19 first emerged suffered more than anywhere in China. But on Sunday the last patients treated for the disease were able to leave the hospital.
Africa is juggling coronavirus pandemic with other disease outbreaks
April 27, 2020 10:33 - 6 minutes - 3.08 MBConcerns are rising that African nations have stopped providing care and prevention for other deadly diseases as it shifts its resources toward fighting Covid-19.
Are coronavirus antibody tests the answer to reopening cities?
April 24, 2020 10:50 - 3 minutes - 1.78 MBGovernments are testing people for coronavirus antibodies to estimate how many people have contracted, and recovered, from the disease. But scientists say the accuracy of the tests remains a question.
Two deaths upended how America understands the coronavirus
April 24, 2020 10:50 - 5 minutes - 2.54 MBTwo California residents who died in early February tested positive for the coronavirus postmortem. The discovery proves the virus was spreading throughout the US far earlier than previously thought.
This tycoon is making a billion dollars a month from coronavirus
April 24, 2020 10:50 - 3 minutes - 1.55 MBLi Xiting was already Singapore‘s richest man. Now the value of his medical devices company is soaring due to the global demand for ventilators.
China may have had four times more Covid-19 cases than it reported, study says
April 23, 2020 11:55 - 3 minutes - 1.39 MBA different diagnostic standard would have at least quadrupled the number of confirmed Covid-19 patients in China, researchers from Hong Kong said in a study published in The Lancet.
92-year-old Asian man attacked in Canada by man shouting Covid-19 slurs
April 23, 2020 11:55 - 2 minutes - 1.34 MBA 92-year-old Asian man with dementia was lost and wandered into a convenience store. Another man began to hurl racist abuse at the elderly man and shoved him out of the store and threw him to the ground.
‘Like a prison drama’: Taming an epidemic the China way
April 23, 2020 11:54 - 8 minutes - 3.74 MBNeighborhood monitoring made up of community cells was at the heart of China’s containment of the coronavirus. An analyst said the approach came “at the expense of public autonomy and vitality.”
Covid-19 and the Wuhan lab: What we know so far
April 22, 2020 11:02 - 6 minutes - 2.82 MBA Chinese research facility in the city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged, has attracted US attention for alleged links to the pathogen.
Two in three Americans think poorly of China, survey says
April 22, 2020 11:02 - 5 minutes - 2.41 MBA recent poll from the Pew Research Center shows that American opinions about China have fallen significantly in recent years, driven by mutually antagonistic rhetoric that has gotten worse during the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic is bad for relationships. Just ask divorce lawyers
April 22, 2020 11:02 - 3 minutes - 1.55 MBLiving in a pandemic is tearing families and relationships apart. In China, lawyers are overwhelmed with divorce inquiries and local governments are swamped by applications to separate.
No, children are not safe from the coronavirus
April 21, 2020 12:03 - 3 minutes - 1.45 MBChildren have a high risk of being infected by Covid-19, even if they are less likely to die, and that could overwhelm pediatric services, a new report has warned.
Keep the red light shining? Japan’s sex industry faces a dilemma
April 21, 2020 12:03 - 6 minutes - 2.85 MBThe country’s extensive adult entertainment industry relies on face-to-face contacts. But now the coronavirus has left many bars and clubs facing a tough decision between staying safe and staying in business.
What’s in a name? China hopes territory
April 21, 2020 12:03 - 3 minutes - 1.66 MBChina named 80 geographical features off the South China Sea in an effort to assert territorial rights.
‘Literally chaos’: inside the stampede to buy masks and ventilators in China
April 20, 2020 11:10 - 11 minutes - 5.09 MBSurging demand for equipment for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic has turned the Chinese market for medical gear into the Wild West, forcing buyers, sellers and regulators to adapt at virtually a moment’s notice.
Hong Kong’s protests look like they’re coming back
April 20, 2020 11:10 - 4 minutes - 2.02 MBHong Kong activists vow to return to the streets after 15 opposition leaders are arrested and Beijing is accused of meddling in the city’s politics.
Graduating into a pandemic could ruin your career
April 20, 2020 11:10 - 6 minutes - 2.9 MBThe fresh graduates of 2020 are bearing the brunt of a frozen job market triggered by a global pandemic. Experts say graduating into a recession can create “lasting scarring” on one’s career.
Is lockdown worth it?
April 16, 2020 10:29 - 5 minutes - 2.74 MBStudies attempt to weigh the trade-offs of different forms of interventions to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
African-Chinese TV contestant becomes target of racial abuse
April 16, 2020 10:29 - 2 minutes - 1.3 MBZhong Feifei, who was born in China to a Chinese mother and Congolese father, has been targeted for racist attacks after she was announced as a contestant on a Chinese singing competition.
Restaurant cluster shows how air conditioning helps coronavirus spread, study says
April 16, 2020 10:29 - 3 minutes - 1.8 MBIndoor airflow created by air conditioning could have helped propagate virus-laden droplets and cause a cluster of infections in a restaurant, a study says.
China warns US cut to WHO funding weakens global coronavirus response
April 15, 2020 11:46 - 4 minutes - 2.03 MBBeijing and several medical authorities expressed concerns that the Trump administration’s move to suspend funding for the World Health Organization could undermine global efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
How the coronavirus pandemic will shape China’s health care reform
April 15, 2020 11:46 - 5 minutes - 2.66 MBChina wants to build a mature health care system by 2030. The country hopes to get there by modernizing existing hospitals and supporting private hospitals.
How a coal miner became China’s first world boxing champion
April 15, 2020 11:46 - 5 minutes - 2.7 MBXiong Chaozhong was pushing coal carts for thirteen cents a day before he became a world boxing champion.
Chinese factories are rushing to make face masks. Quality is a concern
April 14, 2020 11:38 - 4 minutes - 1.86 MBThe coronavirus pandemic has created an unquenchable demand for face masks. The rush in China to make the protective gear has raised quality concerns.
How social distancing might stick after the coronavirus
April 14, 2020 11:37 - 8 minutes - 4.06 MBSocial distancing restrictions across the world have varied from country to country, but a lot of the measures implemented may have staying power.
China's toughest test just got harder
April 14, 2020 11:37 - 4 minutes - 2.25 MBMany Chinese students consider the yearly college entrance exam as the single most important test they take in their lives. This year's students have to deal with another hurdle: being forced to study online.
Why we shouldn’t count on hospitals to save us in a pandemic
April 13, 2020 11:02 - 8 minutes - 4.07 MBThe coronavirus pandemic could shape the future of our public health systems. Future hospitals may look smaller, we may see our doctors remotely, and countries may carry out regular pandemic drills.
‘Black people are not allowed’: McDonald’s China apologizes for discrimination
April 13, 2020 11:02 - 3 minutes - 1.44 MBA McDonald’s restaurant in China banned black people from entering as worries about coronavirus-carrying foreigners have fueled rising xenophobia in the country.
Coronavirus can attack the immune system, scientists warn
April 13, 2020 11:02 - 3 minutes - 1.59 MBNew research indicates that the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 can attack human immune cells in a similar way to HIV.
Only 6% of coronavirus infections are detected, German study says
April 09, 2020 10:57 - 3 minutes - 1.59 MBResearchers in Germany estimated that the global number of confirmed coronavirus cases only represents 6% of the actual number of infections. They recommend mass testing to get a more accurate picture before countries begin to restart economic activity.
US, China scientists join forces to fight coronavirus amid political feud
April 09, 2020 10:57 - 5 minutes - 2.73 MBChinese and American scientists, companies and research firms are working together despite the fact that their respective governments cannot get on the same page.
Michael Jordan wins trademark case in China ... sort of
April 09, 2020 10:57 - 3 minutes - 1.74 MBChina’s top court ruled that a Chinese sportswear company must stop using Micheal Jordan’s Chinese name in one of its trademarks. But the firm could keep using a silhouette logo, the court said.
As Wuhan emerges from the shadow of coronavirus, a familiar face is missing
April 08, 2020 10:32 - 6 minutes - 2.85 MBThe reopening of Wuhan after more than two months of lockdown is a reminder of the permanent wounds the coronavirus left in its path.
A Chinese tycoon criticized China’s coronavirus response. He is now under investigation
April 08, 2020 10:32 - 3 minutes - 1.52 MBA former Chinese real-estate tycoon penned a sharply-worded article in early March criticizing the Chinese government for mishandling the coronavirus outbreak. The ruling Chinese Communist Party is now investigating him.
How food delivery became backbone of China’s coronavirus fight
April 08, 2020 10:32 - 5 minutes - 2.47 MBThe Chinese food delivery infrastructure had been well developed prior to the coronavirus. The public health crisis showed what it could do at peak demand.
The next pandemic and how to beat it
April 07, 2020 12:30 - 7 minutes - 3.51 MBScientists believe there are thousands of diseases in wildlife that could cause pandemics similar to the current coronavirus outbreak. Humanity’s encroachment on nature makes it more likely we will catch them.
China sees fewer business closures amid coronavirus crisis. That’s bad news
April 07, 2020 12:30 - 2 minutes - 1.35 MBA dramatic drop in the number of companies that closed permanently in the first three months of 2020 shows how the coronavirus brought the country to a halt.
US military requests $20 billion to counter China
April 07, 2020 12:30 - 4 minutes - 2.01 MBThe US military’s request for $20 billion in funding is part of Washington’s efforts to counter Beijing’s military presence in the Pacific.
The world makes U-turn on wearing face masks to stop coronavirus
April 06, 2020 10:28 - 9 minutes - 4.37 MBThe global community is starting to recommend that people wear face coverings in public to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but supply chain issues mean it can be hard for some people to access masks.
Coronavirus creates risk of a Great Depression, China’s central bank says
April 06, 2020 10:28 - 3 minutes - 1.46 MBWhile unlikely, a global financial meltdown of the scale of the 1929 crash is possible if we fail to contain the coronavirus pandemic, a Chinese central bank official said.
Study shows why you should never touch the outside of face mask
April 06, 2020 10:28 - 3 minutes - 1.51 MBA new study found that the coronavirus can survive for days on various everyday objects, but household disinfectants can kill the virus off.
Does wearing a mask make you touch your face more often?
April 03, 2020 13:04 - 3 minutes - 1.55 MBThe US could join a growing list of countries in considering that the benefits of broader adoption of face masks outweigh their potential drawbacks and risks of misuse.