China's Darfur Policy

Stories

17 Stories

August 2008
- 'Lost Boy' Lomong to Carry US Flag at Olympics
  
  Boston Globe | Aug 7, 08 2:05 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Former Darfur "Lost Boy" refugee Lopez Lomong, who became a US citizen one year ago, has been chosen to carry the Stars & Stripes at tomorrow's opening ceremony of the Olympics. "This is the most exciting day of my life," Lomong, 23, told the Boston Globe . "The American flag means everything." The 1,500-meter runner spent a decade in a Kenyan refugee camp before coming to America. More »
- China Revokes Visa of Olympian Darfur Activist
  
  Boston Globe | Aug 6, 08 8:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hours before he was due to leave for Beijing today, US gold-medalist and Darfur activist Joey Cheek got a call from Chinese authorities revoking his visa, the Boston Globe reports. A retired speedskater, Cheek is the founder of Team Darfur, a global group of athletes devoted to bringing peace to the area of Sudan torn by violence. He was headed to China as a human rights activist. More »
July 2008
- China's New Artist Policy Could Ban Spielberg
  
  Hollywood Reporter | Jul 18, 08 4:33 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - 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. More »
May 2008
- US Must Seize Chance to Make Impact on Darfur
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 15, 08 11:33 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The US will take over as president of the UN Security Council next month, and, in the Wall Street Journal, Mia Farrow and Nancy Soderberg say that ending the Darfur genocide should be a key goal during its term. Sudan is denying entry to all non-African UN peacekeepers, the actress and the ex-ambassador explain, so the US must coordinate support and training. More »
- Mia Farrow Quizzed at Hong Kong Airport
  
  Associated Press | May 1, 08 5:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Activist actress Mia Farrow was allowed into Hong Kong today after authorities questioned her and told her not to disrupt tomorrow's Olympic torch relay, AP reports. Farrow is an outspoken critic of China's policy on Darfur and plans a speech tomorrow night on the issue. Several activists have been barred from the former colony in recent days, and Farrow's visit was seen as another test of the city's freedoms. More »
April 2008
- Europeans Cite China as Top Stability Threat
  
  Financial Times (UK) | Apr 15, 08 1:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- 4 Months to Go: Is China Ready for Spotlight?
  
  Chicago Tribune | Apr 13, 08 4:11 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - 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 »
- Clinton to Bush: Skip Olympics
  
  Politico | Apr 7, 08 7:15 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hillary Clinton urged President Bush today to skip the Beijing Olympics over China's role in the Darfur genocide and violence in Tibet, Politico reports. She joined ranks with Nancy Pelosi in calling for Bush to protest Beijing's human rights record "absent major changes by the Chinese government," Clinton said in a statement. More »
- Torch Protesters Climb Golden Gate Bridge
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Apr 7, 08 4:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With the Olympic torch due to reach San Francisco tomorrow, protesters climbed the Golden Gate Bridge today to unfurl banners reading “One World, One Dream" and "Free Tibet 08.” The climbers, members of Students for a Free Tibet, were arrested after they rappelled down the bridge’s south tower, leaving the sign aloft, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. More »
- For Olympians, Conscience Battles Wallet
  
  New York Times | Apr 1, 08 2:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Beijing Olympics will be rife with protesters, but athletes may be reluctant to be among them, reports the New York Times. Olympic rules forbid protests or propaganda at Olympic sites, and sponsors are sure to frown on such activity. Even Team Darfur, a protest group with many Olympian members, understands. For many sports, “This is their one time every four years to make money,” said a group co-founder. More »
February 2008
- Olympic Sponsors Targeted Over China-Darfur Links
  
  BusinessWeek | Feb 20, 08 1:19 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Activists are preparing to plaster college campuses with posters with charges like “McDonald’s: Proud Sponsor of the Genocide Olympics,” hoping to pressure multinational corporations sponsoring the Beijing Games into doing more about Darfur, BusinessWeek reports. Buying oil from Sudan makes China a sponsor of the region's genocide, the thinking goes, and Olympics backers like McDonald's are sponsoring the sponsors of the killing. More »
- China Rejects Darfur Criticism
  
  New York Times | Feb 15, 08
  
  China has dismissed Steven Spielberg%u2019s move to link the Olympic Games with Chinese policies in Sudan, saying Thursday that sports and politics should be kept separate. Mr. Spielberg said Tuesday that he was withdrawing from his role as the Games%u2019 artistic adviser because he believed that Beijing had failed to use its influence to end the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan.
- Spielberg Sparks Storm Over China's Darfur Role
  
  Guardian (UK) | Feb 14, 08 4:28 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Human rights groups praised Hollywood's Steven Spielberg yesterday for stepping down as artistic director of the Beijing Olympics due to China's ongoing support for the Sudanese regime. His move has opened the floodgates to a deluge of criticism over China's involvement in Darfur, giving the Chinese government a taste of what's likely to come during this summer's games, the Guardian reports. More »
- Spielberg Quits China Olympics Gig Over Darfur Ties
  
  NPR | Feb 13, 08
  
  After months of pressure from Darfur activists, Steven Spielberg has withdrawn from his position as artistic adviser to the Beijing Olympics. Darfur activists are pressuring China because of the Chinese government's strong ties to Khartoum. Sudan is a key oil supplier for China.
- China Regrets Spielberg's Olympic Pullout, Opposes Link to Politics
  
  AFP | Feb 13, 08
  
  China expressed regret Thursday over US film-maker Steven Spielberg's decision to cut ties with the Beijing Olympics, saying it was unacceptable to link politics to the sporting extravaganza. Responding to what has become a public relations disaster ahead of the Games, authorities also defended China's involvement with Sudan, which led to Spielberg pulling out as an artistic adviser over the Darfur crisis.
- Spielberg Quits '08 Olympics Over Darfur
  
  BBC | Feb 12, 08 7:33 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Steven Spielberg stepped down today as a 2008 Beijing Olympics adviser over China’s links to the Darfur genocide, the BBC reports. “I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual,” the filmmaker said. China has been criticized for buying oil from the Sudan, selling it weapons, and supporting it at the UN while Khartoum has waged war in Darfur. More »
April 2007
- Hollywood Shapes China's Darfur Policy
  
  New York Times | Apr 13, 07 9:08 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - China is finally joining the international outcry over genocide in Darfur—and it’s down to Hollywood clout, not Washington’s. Long one of Sudan’s closest protectors, China is suddenly calling on the government to accept UN peacekeepers. The reason, reports the Times : Mia Farrow and Steven Spielberg are leading a charge to tie the Beijing Olympics to the country's policies on Sudan. More »