ANALYSIS
Independent readings, photos show smog persists despite pre-Olympic crackdown
Wired Aug 5, 08 1:49 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The Chinese government’s goal of dispersing the thick smog around Beijing is not working, Wired reports after analyzing independent data. Efforts including factory shutdowns, car bans, and cloud seeding have not improved air quality, with pollution levels still far above the World Health Organization’s standards on most days. Heavy rain has been the only factor that truly diminishes particulate matter, scientists say.
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Shoulder injury dashes Russian's Olympic ambitions
AFP Aug 1, 08 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The Olympics lost a bit of its star power today when Maria Sharapova announced that she won't be able to compete because of a shoulder injury, AFP reports. The 21-year-old Russian, ranked third in the world, also will miss the US Open in late August, the AP reports. “The doctors found two small tears in the tendons of my shoulder,” said a despondent Sharapova.
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Opening day is lucky date
USA Today Aug 1, 08 2:30 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Thousands of Beijing couples plan to tie the knot on the opening day of the Olympic Games, reports USA Today. The all-eights date, 8/8/08, is considered lucky in China, which is why authorities chose that day for the start of the Olympiad. Now some 9,000 lovers hope to share the luck, while they celebrate the games—and wedded bliss.
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Chinese people want some, but not too much, for Olympics
Washington Post Jul 31, 08 1:33 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Talking about the weather isn’t just idle conversation in Beijing these days—it’s a national obsession, the Washington Post reports. The country is so anxious for a sunny Olympics—with just enough rain to clear the smog, of course—that changes in the forecast have become front-page news. Monday even saw the launch of Olympic Weather News , a daily newspaper devoted entirely to the topic.
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New cuts on factories, cars as air flunks tests ahead of Olympics
New York Times Jul 31, 08 8:28 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Beijing today rolled out new emergency measures to ease pollution, with the Olympics just more than a week away. The new rules will close more factories and take more vehicles off the road, in a wider radius around the capital, in the event of “extremely unfavorable weather conditions"—like hot, humid air that traps pollution. Beijing failed to meet China's national standards for air quality—already more lenient than those of the US—for 4 consecutive days recently, the New York Times reports.
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Olympic committee
has hushed dissent despite 2001 vow
Bloomberg Jul 29, 08 11:13 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Ten days ahead of the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony, Amnesty International charged that China hasn’t welched on promises of freedom for activists and journalists it made when it was awarded the Games. “The Chinese authorities are tarnishing the legacy of the Games,” said a rep who called for the release of “imprisoned peaceful activists” and a path to ending the death penalty, Bloomberg reports.
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Despite traffic restrictions, skies hazy as always
Associated Press Jul 27, 08 5:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Beijing has just 12 days left to clear its skies before the start of the Summer Olympics and things are still looking mighty smoggy, reports the AP. Visibility was a mere half-mile in some parts of the city and the Athletes’ Village was invisible from the nearby Olympic Green, despite drastic traffic restrictions in the capital. “It doesn't really look so good,” an Olympic committee member said.
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Beijing's African residents targeted as part of pre-Olympic crackdown
Globe and Mail Jul 21, 08 10:17 AM CDT
(Newser)
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African residents of Beijing say they are facing growing harassment from police ahead of the Olympics, reports the Globe and Mail . Bar owners near the city's Workers Stadium have reportedly been ordered not to serve "black people or Mongolians." The groups have been targeted as part of China's crackdown on groups it sees as potential troublemakers.
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Chinese government clamping down on media access ahead of games
New York Times Jul 21, 08 3:07 AM CDT
(Newser)
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NBC paid a record $900 million to cover the Beijing Olympics, but it and other networks are already nervous about how much Chinese officials will actually allow them to cover, reports the New York Times . If political protests erupt, networks will also face the dilemma of covering them and angering the Chinese—or ignoring them and facing charges of censorship from the West. Reporters are already facing intimidation and harassment.
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Director's Darfur protest stunt may run afoul of Beijing leadership
Hollywood Reporter Jul 18, 08 4:33 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Steven Spielberg or his films could be banned from China under the new rules barring artists seen as a threat to national sovereignty, the Hollywood Reporter notes. Spielberg rankled Chinese leadership when he publicly withdrew from an artistic advisory board for the Beijing Olympics in protest of the nation’s trade arrangements with Sudan.
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Building frenzy before Olympics may have overestimated demand
Wall Street Journal Jul 18, 08 12:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Beijing’s newest construction binge may lead to a glut of rooms as hoteliers race to finish new properties before the Olympic Games begin in August, the Wall Street Journal reports. When the Games open, Beijing will have 50 five-star hotels, more than double the total of five years ago. While three-quarters of those rooms are booked, fewer than half the rooms at four-stars are reserved.
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Organizing committee lists dos and don'ts
for spectators
Times (UK) Jul 14, 08 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Organizers of the Beijing Olympics released their "Spectators' House Rules" today, aiming to keep order during the August Games as well as protect the hosts from embarrassing incidents, the London Times reports. For starters, babies are discouraged but not forbidden. Other dos and don'ts: Permitted: Umbrellas ("In Beijing we prefer to avoid the sunlight," says an organizing committee official) Small quantities of lip gloss, fountain pens, and sunscreen
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Despite vows, not much change on air quality, political freedom
BBC Jul 8, 08 2:25 PM CDT
(Newser)
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With exactly a month to go before the Olympics, China has not delivered on promises to improve Beijing’s air quality or allow foreign journalists open access, the BBC reports. The government vowed to bring Beijing’s air up to WHO standards when bidding for the Games, but a BBC test showed the city over the pollution limit 6 days out of 7.
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