Stories related to: China

A group of cyberattackers called off a planned virtual onslaught of CNN's main webpage yesterday as excess publicity caused confusion, ComputerWorld reports. A group called Revenge of the Flame wrote that "Our original plan for 19 April has been canceled because too many people are aware of it and the situation is chaotic," but threatened a renewed offensive sometime soon. More »

Nepal has plans for protesters intent on disrupting the Olympic flame's ascent up Mount Everest, the AP reports. An official today authorized the use of deadly force "to stop any protest on the mountain using whatever means necessary." Climbers are scheduled to reach the summit in the border region between Nepal and Tibet early next month. More »

Thousands of protesters demonstrated in Hollywood today over recent anti-China remarks by CNN commentator Jack Cafferty, the Los Angeles Times reports. The crowd chanted "Fire Cafferty" and sang Chinese songs outside the CNN building in Hollywood. "We understand free speech," one protester said. "But what if Cafferty said this about other racial groups? I think he would be fired." More »

Chinese demonstrators today responded to pro-Tibet protests around the world with rallies of their own, blasting Tibet’s calls for independence and demanding a boycott of French goods, Reuters reports. “Oppose Tibet independence, support the Olympics,” said banners hoisted by protesters in at least four cities. A number of protests clustered around French Carrefour supermarkets in China. More »

As tensions rise in Zimbabwe, a Chinese ship has arrived in a South African port with arms bound for Harare. The ship put to sea with AK-47 rifles, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and millions of rounds of ammunition, apparently to fortify President Robert Mugabe, who's not relinquishing power despite his suspected loss in last month's presidential election.  A South African politician called the shipment tantamount to "putting a fuse in a powder keg." More »

China is accelerating construction of a number of museums ahead of August's Olympics, but one is sure to cause serious consternation: the first museum in Beijing devoted to Tibet. Antiquities and historical documents will be used to underline the claim that Tibet is an integral part of China, the New York Times reports—with the Dalai Lama edited out post-1959.  More »

The Olympic torch was carried through New Delhi today, escorted by 15,000 police on a route shortened to less than two miles through a locked-down city center, the AP reports. Some 70 runners each held the torch for just seconds before handing it off. Only a few hundred, sitting in bleachers, saw the event, which was closed to the public More »

The Olympic torch was greeted with furious protests as it arrived in Delhi today, and 15,000 security forces have locked down the heart of the city ahead of the relay, Reuters reports. Members of India's large community of Tibetan exiles have vowed massive protests to highlight China's human rights abuses. Dozens were arrested outside the hotel where the torch is being kept. More »

The Chinese Internet is aflame with vitriol at Western governments and news organizations for “insults” over Tibet and recent Olympic torch incidents, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Chinese authorities, usually quick to censor the Web, have let the sentiment flow, believing "the West is trying to humiliate them again," according to a US political scientist. More »

A meeting in Shanghai of permanent UN Security Council members and Germany failed to produce a new set of incentives to offer Iran for cessation of its nuclear activities, Reuters reports. "We can say we agreed on the main content of a plan to restart negotiations, but not all the problems have been resolved," a senior Chinese diplomat said today. More »

CNN has issued an apology to Beijing after one of its anchors called the Chinese "goons" and called Chinese-made products "junk." Jack Cafferty, who appears on The Situation Room , said that the Chinese were "basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years." CNN's contrition came after an angry demand from the Chinese foreign ministry. More »

Security protecting the Olympic torch will face its toughest test yet as thousands of Tibetan protesters converge on New Delhi for the Indian leg of the relay tomorrow. Hunger strikes, relay disruptions and attempts to grab the torch are all being planned. One Indian television station is referring to the flame as the "tortured torch."      More »

President Bush is expected to propose intermediate goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions today on the eve of climate change negotiations in Paris. The goals won't include proposed legislation or specifics on changes needed to reach the targets, reports the Washington Post. He will also reiterate his opposition to mandatory emissions standards that don't apply to India and China. More »

Europeans see China as the biggest threat to world stability, a new poll says. In the wake of the Tibet crackdown, 35% of Europeans labeled China a bigger threat than any other state, reports the Financial Times . “The story of the last five years has been about economic opportunities," said one expert. "The story of the last six months has been about China as a threat in Darfur and in Tibet." More »

China's 470 executions in 2007 make it the world's leader, according to Amnesty International's annual report on the worldwide state of capital punishment. But even that number is likely low, the group says, with the real number probably in the thousands. "China gets the 'gold medal' for global executions," Amnesty's British director told the BBC. More »

An expanding health-care sector in China couldn’t help Royal Philips Electronics offset poor television and video sales in North America, as the world’s leading lighting company reported core profits fell 28% in the first quarter, Reuters reports today. The company said it expects the global economic slowdown will continue to hurt its consumer-electronics sales. More »

After four days of lectures in Seattle on love and compassion, the Dalai Lama turned to the tempestuous topic of the fate of Tibet within China. The Dalai Lama called on Beijing to open the region to foreign journalists, continued to press for his "middle way" of Tibetan autonomy, and reiterated his threat to resign as Tibet's political leader if his people continued to use violence. More »

The last-minute drama brewing in the runup to this summer's Olympic Games is of a more global and more personal nature than the infrastructure issues of Olympics past—and Chinese leaders are bristling under the scrutiny, the Chicago Tribune reports. But pride in the country's hosting gig remains strong, even among the impoverished workers who could never afford a ticket. More »

The foreign dignitaries opting to skip the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony are engaging in a "cop-out," said President Bush's national security adviser today. What's more, claimed Stephen Hadley, they're missing an opportunity to meaningfully pressure China via behind-the-scenes diplomacy—as the US is doing. Bush has said he doesn't "view the Olympics as a political event," the AP reports. More »

Chinese state-sponsored media today blasted US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her stance supporting Tibet.  Belligerent  editorials from the official Xinhua news agency ripped Pelosi as "the most disgusting person" and a "protector of mobsters, arsonists and murderers." Pelosi has urged President Bush to boycott the opening ceremony of the upcoming Olympic games to protest China's human rights abuses. More »