Human genes

China is considering regulating studies related to human genes or embryos in the draft section of personality rights of the civil code, which was submitted to the top legislature for review on Saturday.

Those who conduct medical or scientific studies related to human genes or embryos shall abide by laws, administrative rules and relevant regulations, the draft says, adding that people’s health should not be harmed, nor ethical and moral standards violated. The move marks the first time China has made a fundamental regulation concerning such issues in civil legislation.

Tesla car

U.S. electric car maker Tesla Inc. said on Monday that it is investigating an incident in which one of its vehicles apparently exploded in Shanghai.

A video on Weibo showed a Tesla Model S parked in a garage starting to emit smoke. Shortly after, the vehicle exploded and burst into flames. Another video showed at least two badly damaged cars nearby at about 8:15 p.m. on Sunday, according to the time stamp on the video.

New learning tools

Learning from various kinds of online videos and livestreaming* platforms has become a rising popular choice among Chinese young people.

Statistics showed that over 18.27 million people, twice the number of participants in the 2018 college entrance examination, have learned by watching videos or livestreaming on Bilibili.com, China’s leading online video platform, since the start of 2019. The most popular hashtag on Bilibili for livestreaming videos is “study with me,” in which hosts mainly live stream study sessions or study alone.

Draft vaccine law

China plans to introduce a compensation system for people who report adverse events linked to preventive vaccinations, according to a draft law under review at the top legislature.

Compensation must be provided in cases of an adverse event leading to death, serious disability or organ injury during or after vaccination, or when the possibility of an adverse event cannot be excluded, the draft says. It says the details of compensation plans should be decided by Central and local governments.

(SD-Agencies)