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Daily Telegraph (UK)
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Aug 9, 08 9:16 AM CDT
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The Beijing Olympics are a celebration of sport, for sure, but they are happening in China, which makes them a business opportunity unlike earlier Games. Folks with deep pockets are converging on the capital to wheel and deal, with an eye to the emerging middle-class market of some 300 million they'd like to tap. China still runs on guanxi , an informal network of connections that makes breaking in a painstaking process, the Telegraph reports.
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Associated Press
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Aug 9, 08 6:08 AM CDT
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A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the US Olympic men's volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics today, team officials and state media said. The man then committed suicide by throwing himself from the second story of the site, the 13th century Drum Tower 5 miles from the main site of the Games.
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Christian Science Monitor
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Aug 8, 08 5:34 PM CDT
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Thousands of people all over the world headed for the altar today, taking advantage of a lucky—not to mention easy-to-remember—date. More than 16,000 couples married in Beijing, where one officiant started tying knots shortly after 4am, reports the Christan Science Monitor. " It’s a good day for all Chinese people and all new couples, and it’s very memorable," one bride said of 8/8/08.
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Portfolio
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Aug 8, 08 4:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The 2008 Olympics have barely begun and collectors are already jockeying for possession of Beijing memorabilia. But serious shoppers are bypassing the hundreds of official knickknacks, hoping instead to score big-ticket items such as medals and sweaty uniforms, Portfolio reports. It's serious business: A gold medal from the 1904 Games in St. Louis—651 athletes vs. 11,000 this year—recently brought in $49,000, and jerseys from the 1992 “Dream Team” went for $10,800.
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AFP
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Aug 8, 08 2:47 PM CDT
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Nicolas Sarkozy says the relationship between France and China had been “set right again” in talks today with the Chinese leadership, AFP reports. "I had a lunch and a meeting with the Chinese president and a meeting with the prime minister. I talked about human rights, I handed over lists" of jailed political prisoners, Sarkozy said.
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Guardian (UK)
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Aug 8, 08 7:47 AM CDT
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The most impressive Olympic games on record began in explosive fashion today, as more than 80 heads of state and 91,000 spectators gathered in the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing. The five-hour opening ceremony began with a dazzling fireworks display, with hundreds of white-robed drummers playing in unison. In all, 15,000 performers and more than 20,000 fireworks will be used in the ceremony.
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Associated Press
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Aug 8, 08 5:44 AM CDT
(AP) -
A bomb threat emailed to Air China's Tokyo offices today forced a Shanghai-bound passenger jet to make an emergency return to Japan, reports AP. Four other flights were delayed. The email threatened to "bomb the aircraft" if fllghts were not suspended, according to a transport offical. "We suspect this is a threat related to the Olympics," said the official, who declined to say if any particular group was suspected.
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Washington Post
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Aug 8, 08 3:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Beijing is buzzing with excitement as the Olympic countdown nears its end, reports the Washington Post . The nation boldly steps into the international spotlight as the 29th Olympiad begins at the auspicious hour of 8:08 pm Chinese time. China's people are eager to impress the world, and the ruling Communist Party hopes a successful Olympics will cement its grip on power.
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Time
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Aug 7, 08 3:58 PM CDT
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Basketball, Speedo-wearing athletes and gymnastics floor routines might be the toast of NBC on this side of the ocean, but lesser-known Olympic disciplines will drive other nations to the edge of their collective seat, reports Time . Here are five: Badminton: Responsible for Indonesia's lone gold, the sport with 125-mph backhand smashes captivates much of Asia, especially China.
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BBC
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Aug 7, 08 1:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The International Olympic Committee says there is nothing wrong with the air in Beijing and praised China's "extraordinary" efforts to clean up pollution ahead of the Games' kick-off tomorrow. But the BBC disagrees, reporting its own analysis that shows Beijing's air pollution at nearly four times World Health Organization standards.
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BBC
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Aug 7, 08 11:49 AM CDT
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Competing in 20 Olympic events and going for a record eight gold medals, American swimming phenom Michael Phelps is first off the block in the BBC's list of 10 to watch in Beijing. Here are some of the others: Natalie du Toit: This South African swimmer and Paralympic gold-medalist will make a splash as the first female amputee to compete at the Summer Games.
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Bloomberg
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Aug 7, 08 8:19 AM CDT
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President Bush landed in Beijing today for the Olympics’ opening ceremony, but not before outlining his “deep concerns” about human rights in the Chinese regime. “America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human-rights advocates, and religious activists,” Bush said in a speech in Bangkok hours before boarding the plane.
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New York Times
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Aug 7, 08 7:01 AM CDT
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The Dalai Lama is willing to accept Chinese rule in Tibet, providing Beijing with a major concession in an attempt to preserve the cultural character of the region, writes columnist Nicolas D. Kristof in the New York Times. The Chinese government must recognize the Dalai Lama's willingness to compromise and offer incentives of its own, urges Kristof, who held discussions with the spiritual leader and with Chinese and Tibetan officials.
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Boston Globe
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Aug 7, 08 2:05 AM CDT
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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.
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New York Times
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Aug 6, 08 4:08 PM CDT
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President Bush will urge the Chinese government toward greater openness and civil freedom, according to excerpts from a speech he’s scheduled give tomorrow in Thailand, the New York Times reports. Bush will keep his criticism mild, not wishing to use his visit to the Olympics to blast Beijing on its human-rights record—as some groups have wished.
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BBC
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Aug 6, 08 1:08 PM CDT
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Pervez Musharraf will be in Beijing tomorrow for the Olympics' opening ceremony, the foreign ministry said today, reversing an earlier announcement that he had canceled the trip. The president is battling possible impeachment at home, the BBC reports, and opposition leaders met yesterday, reportedly to discuss an ouster. The cancellation was seen as a drastic move, as China is one of Pakistan's closest alies.
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