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NEWS ABOUT: 2008 Beijing Olympics

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Merkel Will Skip Olympics

German chancellor says she's not protesting, but Czech and Polish leaders are

(Newser) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other top German officials won't be going to the Beijing Olympics, the Guardian reports, joining Polish and Czech leaders who have pledged to stay away. But while Polish PM Donald Tusk and Czech President Vaclav Klaus said they'll be boycotting the opening ceremony to protest... More »

New Suit Shakes Up Swim World

Some complain that high-tech Speedo gives unfair edge

(Newser) - Swimmers in the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit have been smashing records since it made its debut six weeks ago, and some athletes are beginning to grumble that the high-tech swimming gear gives wearers an unfair advantage, the Los Angeles Times reports. Of the 14 world records to have fallen in... More »

West Must Boycott Olympic Venues 'Stained With Blood'

Oppressed Chinese, Tibetans demand no less, French philosopher says

(Newser) - The West must take a stand against China's human-rights abuses by boycotting the Summer Olympics, French philosopher Bernard-Henry Levy insists in the New Republic. Otherwise, athletes will compete in “stadiums stained with blood.” China was supposed to cease its worst behavior, but it’s done the opposite: A... More »

Sarkozy Dangles Olympic Boycott

'Open' to skipping opening ceremonies if China-Tibet tensions don't improve

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy says "all options are open" in terms of a possible boycott of the opening ceremonies of Beijing's Olympics. While his aides say that France would oppose a full boycott of the games, the French prez is signaling his discontent with China's recent crackdown in Tibet. "I... More »

Man Eats Man's Best Friend

Slate's Ted Kerasote protests animal cruelty in China

(Newser) - While you're busy worrying about human rights in China, author and journalist Ted Kerasote argues, add animal rights to the list. After a trip to a ski camp in China where he was befriended by a "dead ringer for Lassie," he was appalled to find his canine pal... More »

Olympic Flame Lit Amid Brief Protest

Torch lit in grand style at Olympia

(Newser) - The Olympic flame was lit this morning in Greece, in a ceremony briefly interrupted by human rights protesters. As the Chinese Communist Party secretary—also the head of the Beijing Olympics—spoke, three demonstrators evaded massive security to run onto the field at the stadium in Ancient Olympia. One managed... More »

Scholars Urge China to Meet With Dalai Lama

Group slams Beijing for 'fanning racial hatred'

(Newser) - A group of prominent Chinese intellectuals is challenging the government over its response to protests in Tibet, accusing Beijing of inciting ethnic tensions and demanding that it begin talks with the Dalai Lama. A petition signed by 29 writers, journalists and scholars, blasts China’s “one-sided propaganda” war and... More »

China Slams Pelosi's Support for Tibet

House Speaker guilty of 'double standards,' state says

(Newser) - China’s government hammered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today over her meeting with the Dalai Lama and subsequent condemnation of China's "oppression" of Tibetan protests that turned to riots, the AP reports. Xinhua, China’s state news agency, said “human rights police” like Pelosi employed “double standards”... More »

China Rips Dalai Lama for Olympic 'Sabotage'

Leader plotting to hold games 'hostage,' says Beijing

(Newser) - Beijing is charging that the Dalai Lama incited recent protests in Tibet as part of a "terror" plot to ruin the Olympic games, Reuters reports. "The Dalai Lama is scheming to take the Beijing Olympics hostage to force the Chinese government to make concessions to Tibet independence,"... More »

China May Ban Shots of Tiananmen During Olympics

Fearing protests of Tibet policy, iconic square may go unphotographed

(Newser) - The Chinese government may ban live footage of Tiananmen Square during the coming Summer Olympics in Beijing, the AP reports. Increasingly concerned about protests,  Chinese Olympic officials this week told broadcasting organizers an earlier agreement on live shots had been canceled. If the decision stands, it would be a... More »

Tibet Protests Could Snuff Olympic Torch's UK Visit

April 6 stop in London will test police readiness, set tone for rest of tour

(Newser) - The Olympic torch will pass through London on April 6, meeting major protests over China's human-rights abuses in Tibet and other causes. The visit will test how disruptive political forces could be on the Summer Games—and how well British security forces are preparing for the 2012 London Olympics, the... More »

China Clamps Down on Tibetans

Towns 'like armed camps' as Beijing tries to regain control

(Newser) - The Chinese government has acknowledged for the first time that  rioting has spread from Tibet into neighboring provinces, as it forcefully reasserted control, setting up roadblocks with armed police in areas with large Tibetan populations. In Gansu, hundreds of Tibetans, many on horseback, stormed a government compound, burned the Chinese... More »

IOC: Beijing Air Risky for Athletes

Competitors in endurance events

(Newser) - The air quality in Beijing poses a “possible risk” to athletes in endurance events, the International Olympic Committee announced today. After analyzing data collected in Beijing in August, the IOC’s medical commission concluded that most competitors won't be affected by the smog, but it will monitor air quality... More »

Riots Spread Outside Tibet

Protesters torch marketplace, police station in Sichuan province

(Newser) - Following violent protests against Chinese rule that left 80 dead in Lhasa, according to the exiled Tibetan government, rioting flared today in a province bordering Tibet. Ethnic Tibetans in Sichuan besieged the main government building and set fire to a police station and marketplace. "They've gone crazy," one... More »

Dalai Lama Calls for Tibet Probe

He says 80 protesters killed; Chinese soldiers clamp down in Lhasa

(Newser) - The Dalai Lama today called for an international investigation into China and accused it of engaging in "cultural genocide" in Tibet, the AP reports. The spiritual leader said 80 people have been killed in recent protests. Chinese soldiers and tanks patrolled the streets of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa... More »

10 Dead in Tibet Protests

China gives rioters surrender deadline, threatens 'stern' punishment

(Newser) - Following a day of violent street clashes between protesters and security forces, China reported 10 people dead in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. Embarrassed as the country prepares to host this summer's Olympic games, Beijing set Monday as a "surrender deadline" for rioters to turn themselves in and receive... More »

China Closes Everest to Curb Protests

Torch route deemed 'unsafe' due to 'environmental' problems

(Newser) - China has closed down Mount Everest, worried that pro-Tibet protesters might disrupt what’s supposed to be the emotional and physical pinnacle of this summer's Olympic torch relay—the ascent to the summit. Just ahead of the climbing season—April, May and early June—authorities  told expedition companies the Tibetan... More »

China Off US Rights Blacklist

State Dept. report drops China from top 10 worst abusers despite poor record

(Newser) - The State Department has taken China off its list of the world's 10 worst human rights abusers, the New York Times reports. China's human rights record "remained poor," the department's annual report said, with abuses including "extrajudicial killings, torture, and coerced confessions of prisoners." Officials declined... More »

Tibetan Voices Grow Louder

Plight of Tibet is back in the spotlight

(Newser) - Nearly a half-century after China brutally crushed Tibetan opposition and sent the Dalai Lama into exile, calls for China to give Tibet more freedom are stronger than they have been in decades. While Beijing remains unwilling to budge, activists plan to use China's time in the Olympic spotlight to show... More »

Clooney Wound Up Over Omega Role in Olympics

Presses Olympic sponsor over Darfur

(Newser) - Actor George Clooney is pressuring watchmaker Omega, a key sponsor of  the Beijing Olympics, to speak out against China's involvement in Darfur. Clooney, a spokesman for the legendary Swiss company, is the latest Hollywood figure to use the upcoming Olympics as leverage against China, the strongest ally of Sudan, which... More »

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