OPINION
Economic crisis makes spending billions on 2012 London Games unjustifiable
Times (UK) Nov 26, 08 10:11 AM CST
(Newser)
-
With the economic crisis taking billions out of Britain’s coffers, spending billions more to get ready for the 2012 Olympics makes no sense, writes Alice Miles in the Times of London, who foresees a day when “the unemployed, the homeless, and the destitute will join the athletes parading through London.” The best solution: Give the 2012 Games to already-prepared Beijing.
More »
analysis
Regime worries as angry workers take to the streets
New Republic Nov 18, 08 5:54 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Beijing's grip on power in recent years has relied on a simple agreement with its citizens: "Tolerate our authoritarian rule and we'll make you rich,” writes Joshua Kurlantzick in the New Republic . But with the nation's economy on the rocks, that agreement is now breaking down. If Beijing's $586 billion stimulus package fails, the ensuing unrest will make Tiananmen Square look like small potatoes.
More »
analysis
Green innovator gets unfair rap as environmental offender
Yale Environment 360 Nov 11, 08 4:26 PM CST
(Newser)
-
The world's attitude toward China's environmentalism is "hypocritical and decidedly unfair," writes Fred Pearce in Yale Environment 360—this coming from someone who has "literally held my nose at the foul air." Yes, China's "development zeal" has it doing "the bad things that most of the world does," but it's also the world's leader in green innovation, waste recycling, and alternative energy sources.
More »
Tibetan leader should 'treasure this opportunity': Beijing
BBC Oct 29, 08 12:49 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
China has offered a fresh round of negotiations with the Dalai Lama on Tibet’s political status, the BBC reports. The religious leader should “treasure this opportunity,” according to an announcement in Chinese state media, which added that Beijing was willing to overlook the violent Tibetan protests that broke out last March. The Dalai Lama said over the weekend that he doubts whether talks with China will ever result in substantive change.
More »
Users must be photographed for national database of Web surfers
Times (UK) Oct 17, 08 6:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
China has resumed a strict crackdown on Internet users less than two months after the Olympic Games, ending the more relaxed regulations that accompanied the international spotlight, reports the Times of London. All visitors to Internet cafes in Beijing will be required to have their photograph taken, reports the Times of London. All photos and identity cards will be scanned into a database maintained by China's Cultural Law Enforcement Task Force.
More »
Complain about disparities with able-bodied Olympians
New York Times Sep 6, 08 4:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
When the Paralympics opened today in Beijing, American Tony Iniguez proudly wore his uniform—but he’s also suing the US Olympic Program that provided it. Iniguez, like many of his teammates, believes paralympians deserve the same benefits as their able-bodied counterparts. His suit, filed with two retired wheelchair racers, is headed for the Supreme Court after a frustrated lower court judge ruled for USOP, the New York Times reports.
More »
OPINION
Beijing may draw closer to DC: FT
Financial Times (UK) Aug 28, 08 2:23 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Moscow may physically stand in between Beijing and Washington, but Russia’s aggressive behavior could bring the US and China closer together, Geoff Dyer argues in the Financial Times . The Kremlin’s interference in Georgia has Washington seething, and “a low-level confrontation in Georgia that pits Russia against the US helps China’s short-term interests rather well,” writes Dyer.
More »
Olympics strengthen ruling party after decade of planning
New York Times Aug 25, 08 9:23 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
For nearly a decade, the Chinese Communist Party has made the Olympics the nation's first political priority, writes Jim Yardley in the New York Times . Hopes that the international spotlight would lead to democratization and human-rights reforms in China didn't materialize, as the triumph of the Games instead underscored the strength of the party. "They have earned a tremendous amount of face because of the Olympics," said one Beijing media exec. "They are going to ride on that for a while."
More »
Associated Press Aug 23, 08 10:12 PM CDT
(AP)
-
Samuel Wanjiru pulled away over the final few kilometers to become the first Kenyan in the storied running history of that nation to win an Olympic marathon. The 21-year-old negotiated the 26.2-mile course through Beijing streets in bright Sunday morning sunshine in an Olympic record of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds. This was just the third marathon for Wanjiru, who twice broke the world half-marathon record last year.
More »
Taboos fall as China's new generation gets into body art
New York Times Aug 23, 08 8:22 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Beijing tattoo artists have had a steady stream of customers seeking permanent Olympic souvenirs in recent weeks, the New York Times reports. Tattoo parlors were rare in China a decade ago, but hundreds have sprouted as taboos have begun to fall. American influence is strong, but artists are seeking to create their own Chinese tattoo culture.
More »
Pair, nearly 80, face forced labor for attempt at housing protest
New York Times Aug 21, 08 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Officials in Beijing had promised that Chinese could hold demonstrations during the Olympics, so long as they applied for permission. But of 77 applications, none have been approved—and now, writes the New York Times , two old women upset about the small compensation for the demolition of their homes have been sentenced to a year's "re-education through labor."
More »
olympics
Wins in last women's gymnastics event
Associated Press Aug 19, 08 7:40 AM CDT
(AP)
-
Shawn Johnson finally got her Olympic gold medal in the last event of the women's gymnastics competition today on the balance beam. When her routine, chock-full of difficult tricks, earned a 16.225, Johnson's grin was a thousand times wider than the 4-inch-wide beam she had just conquered.
More »
Beijing's National Stadium and Aquatics Center put post-game rights on market.
Wall Street Journal Aug 15, 08 8:38 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
For a low, low price in the hundreds of millions of dollars, Beijing’s $500-million National Stadium, known as the “Bird’s Nest,” is peddling 30-year naming rights, courting six multinational corporations for logo privileges and other partnerships, the Wall Street Journal reports. The “Water Cube” Aquatics Center is also selling partnership rights, though only inside.
More »