Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Torch Gets Huge Welcome in Hong Kong

But cheers drown out protests in first Chinese leg of relay

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 2, 2008 5:18 AM CDT

(Newser) – Thousands of people waving the Chinese flag cheered the Olympic torch on its relay through Hong Kong, shouting down scattered Tibetan protesters in their midst, the BBC reports. There were a few scuffles as the torch wound its way through the streets in the first leg of the torch relay to take place on Chinese soil.

Eight activists brandishing a Tibetan flag were briefly detained and told it was for their own safety. "It was a very dirty trick," one told Reuters. "I think it was a political decision to remove us."

[Images (7)]

[Videos (1)]

A pro-democracy protester is stopped by police while attempting to get closer to the Olympic torch during the torch relay in Hong Kong Friday, May 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool)

A China supporter argues with pro-democracy protesters at the torch relay ceremony in Hong Kong Friday, May 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A banner which reads "Release Hu Jia" is hung down from Chung King Mansion as a torch bearer passes by during the Olympic torch relay in Hong Kong Friday, May 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Bobby Yip, POOL)

Torch relay runner, Hong Kong actor Andy Lau runs past crowds as he is surrounded by security personnel and police officers during the Olympic torch relay in Hong Kong Friday, May 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Various protestors march as the Olympic torch passes thorough Hong Kong Friday, May 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Mike Clarke, POOL)

Crowds gather by Hong Kong's harborfront to watch the Olympic torch relay. (Newser)

People wave Chinese national flags as they wait to watch the Olympic torch relay in a downtown street in Hong Kong Friday, May 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Pro-democracy protesters getting shouted down by a crowds of pro-China counter protestors on Nathan Road in Hong Kong. (xiaoka)

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Hong Kong Ad Slams 'Chinese Invasion'

Spat heats up as cross-border tourists labeled 'locusts'

(NEWSER) - Tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China are on the rise—and it all started with a bowl of noodles. Users of an Internet forum bought an ad in a major Hong Kong paper calling out cross-border visitors "locusts" who abuse the the former British colony's health care system by coming to Hong Kong to give birth, CNN reports. Wealthy mainlanders are also blamed for overheating the territory's property market, and changing its retail sector to the detriment of locals. More»

China Sees First Bird Flu Death in More Than a Year

Bus driver near Hong Kong dies

(NEWSER) - Let's hope it's an isolated case: A bus driver in southern China has died of the bird flu virus, the nation's first case in more than a year, reports Reuters . It's not clear how he contracted it: The 39-year-old apparently had no contact with poultry before coming down with a fever earlier this month. He lived in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, where authorities killed thousands of chickens at a poultry market 10 days ago after at least one tested positive for the H5N1 virus, notes the Guardian . More»

Thousands Rally in Hong Kong

Group calls for human rights in China on Tiananmen Square anniversary

(NEWSER) - Tens of thousands turned out yesterday in Hong Kong to call for human rights in China and commemorate the June 4, 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square, the Wall Street Journal reports. Organizers say 150,000 attended the gathering, while local media reports cite police figures—which are generally lower than crowd estimates—of 77,000. Attendees held candles and sang songs, as some called for the release of detained artist Ai Weiwei and dissident Liu Xiaobo . More»

Bird Flu Hits Hong Kong

Territory confirms first case since 2003

(NEWSER) - Bird flu is once again causing a flap in Hong Kong. A woman who recently traveled to mainland China has been diagnosed with the territory's first confirmed case of the disease since 2003, the BBC reports. She has been quarantined in intensive care, and Hong Kong's government has raised its flu response level to “serious." In 1997, an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu killed six people in Hong Kong and prompted authorities to cull every chicken and duck in the territory. More»

Hong Kong Is No. 1 in Trash

City produces 2,000 pounds per person per year

(NEWSER) - Hong Kong is now the trash capital of the world, producing more waste per capita than any other place, reports Time . The 7 million residents produce 6.45 million tons per year for the honor. The city's waste-heavy ways include a dependence on take-out food, along with all those plastic containers and paper bags used to package it, writes Krista Mahr. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Torch Gets Huge Welcome in Hong Kong