China Censors Artist Leading Quake Inquiry

(NEWSER) - Ai Weiwei, China's leading artist and a prominent critic of the country's government, said yesterday he was beaten and detained when he tried to testify at a civil rights advocate's trial. Ai told the New York Times that dozens of police officers barged into his hotel room in Chengdu, the capital of earthquake-rocked Sichuan province. The artist, famous for his design of the Bird's Nest stadium has been leading efforts to account for the deaths of children in last year's quake. More»

A year after disaster, Ai Weiwei leads efforts to account for the dead

(NEWSER) - China today marked one year since the Sichuan earthquake that left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing. But the government has still not published results of an investigation, and parents whose children died in shoddily constructed schools have faced police intimidation. The parents have found an unlikely advocate, Time reports: Ai Weiwei, a star artist who has relentlessly pressed for information. More»

'Few people care about the torch relay these days'

(NEWSER) - By pushing human rights and torch relay news off the front pages, China's massive earthquake may have revived an Olympics deemed "in crisis" only 2 weeks ago by the IOC chief, the AP reports. "I'm sorry to say it, but this has turned things around," said another IOC official. More»

6.1 rumble is latest setback

(NEWSER) - Another major aftershock rattled China this morning, Reuters reports. Thousands fled swaying buildings in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, after the 6.1 shaker, but no casualties were immediately reported. Hundreds of lesser aftershocks have rocked the area since last Monday's 7.9 quake that has now claimed at least 32,500 lives, with some 220,000 injured. More»

China says 20,000 confirmed dead, and at least 25,000 still trapped

(NEWSER) - The death toll from China’s devastating earthquake could ultimately top 50,000, Reuters reports. Some 20,000 have been confirmed dead, but Chinese officials fear for tens of thousands trapped under rubble, as rescuers contend with landslides, destroyed roads, and collapsed bridges. But even among those above ground, the multitudes of newly homeless people are beginning to strain the resources of relief efforts. More»