US Tops China in Hoops Opener

Bride stars in national b'ball team

(NEWSER) - Gargantuan Houston Rockets center Yao Ming and his Chinese girlfriend—a hoops star in her own right—got hitched in Shanghai yesterday, People magazine reports. The 7'6" Ming and 6'2" Ye Li held the ceremony and reception at the lush Shangri-La hotel with 70 guests—and close to 100 reporters and photographers camped outside. More»

Police stake out whistleblower's studio, shut down blog

(NEWSER) - The Chinese artist who has made investigating the deaths of children in the Sichuan earthquake a personal crusade is facing a government crackdown, reports the CBC. Ai Weiwei's widely read blog has been deleted, and plainclothes police officers are staking out his studio in Beijing. Ai has relaunched his blog on an American server but said, "I don't know how long it will last before it is blocked." More»

(NEWSER) - China hopes that its Olympic team will do the country proud—but many Chinese are openly rooting for US athletes. Why the love? Francesco Sisci, an Italian diplomat who lives there and whose wife is Chinese, writes in the Washington Post that the idea of "America," even with its flaws, is still held in high regard by everyday people. "The Chinese really look up to the United States. It's hard for them to admit, proud as they are of their 5,000 years of continuous culture, but they do." More»

Taurasi layup sparks surge to 97-57 victory

(AP) - With President Bush and the first family looking on, the United States women's basketball team began its quest for a fourth-straight gold medal with a rout of the Czech Republic. Diana Taurasi scored 13 of her 17 points in the first half to lead the US to the 97-57 victory in the opener tonight. The Americans got off to a slow start, trailing 13-2 after giving up layup after layup to the feisty Czech team. More»

For some countries, Beijing is about judo, handball and badminton

(NEWSER) - Basketball, Speedo-wearing athletes and gymnastics floor routines might be the toast of NBC on this side of the ocean, but lesser-known Olympic disciplines will drive other nations to the edge of their collective seat, reports Time. Here are five:

1. Badminton: Responsible for Indonesia's lone gold, the sport with 125-mph backhand smashes captivates much of Asia, especially China.