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Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - For "reasons of safety", bars are forbidden to serve "blacks"" and Mongolians or place tables in the street. Street musicians are being banned, and so is buying medicines containing "stimulants" without a prescription. Prohibitions are on the rise for the Olympic capital, while the first leaks reveal a grandiose fireworks display for the inauguration. Bar owners around the Workers' Stadium in downtown Beijing say that public security officials are telling them not to let in "blacks" and Mongolians, and many of them have even had to sign a pledge. The official reason is the fight against drugs...

THE OLYMPICS PART ONE: BACKGROUND Published July 19th, 2008 As we approach the August 8th opening of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the XXIX Games of the Olympiad in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, it seems fitting to try to understand exactly what these “games” are. Their history may be examined on various websites, one of the best being http://www.musarium.com/kodak/olympics/olympichistory/. The Official Website of the Olympic Movement declares: “Olympism is a state of mind based on equality of sports which are international and democratic. It is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body,...

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - For "reasons of safety", bars are forbidden to serve "blacks"" and Mongolians or place tables in the street. Street musicians are being banned, and so is buying medicines containing "stimulants" without a prescription. Prohibitions are on the rise for the Olympic capital, while the first leaks reveal a grandiose fireworks display for the inauguration. Bar owners around the Workers' Stadium in downtown Beijing say that public security officials are telling them not to let in "blacks" and Mongolians, and many of them have even had to sign a pledge. The official reason is the fight against drugs...

Threat of ‘no-fun’ Olympics By Mure Dickie, Geoff Dyer and Jamil Anderlini Published: July 18 2008 20:47 | Last updated: July 18 2008 20:47 Just three weeks before the Beijing Olympics, concerns are growing that China’s sweeping security measures could end up sucking all the fun out of the world’s biggest sportsfest. Pre-Olympic jitters are almost a tradition but a Chinese visa crackdown that has sent visitor numbers plunging, heightened security checks, dire warnings of terrorist attack and curbs on Beijing nightlife have led to some observers dubbing the 2008 Olympics the “no-fun Games”. Michael Payne, the International Olympic Committee’s...

On June 5, 1873, in a letter to The Times, Sir Francis Galton, the cousin of Charles Darwin and a distinguished African explorer in his own right, outlined a daring (if by today's standards utterly offensive) new method to 'tame' and colonise what was then known as the Dark Continent. 'My proposal is to make the encouragement of Chinese settlements of Africa a part of our national policy, in the belief that the Chinese immigrants would not only maintain their position, but that they would multiply and their descendants supplant the inferior Negro race,' wrote Galton. 'I should expect that...

Though this story was written nearly 2 years ago, Bishop Su's whereabouts are still unknown. The search continues. Perhaps you or someone you knows, can help solve this mystery. Searching for Bishop Su: Persecuted Chinese bishop gone but not forgottenTheresa Marie Moreau  (TMMoreau@yahoo.com)From the back seat of the gypsy cab, Ming-Chuan “Joseph” Kung watched Beijing blur by. Everything had been pre-arranged. Everything. As the hired driver steered through the streets of the capital city of the People’s Republic of China, the seven passengers – a small delegation of Americans in town for a human rights conference – rode mostly in...

Tibet is in the news. Chinese troops in Lhasa are violently suppressing demonstrations that commemorate the rising 49 years ago which forced the Dalai Lama into exile. Meanwhile, on the country's northern edge, six months of snow and record low temperatures have created a catastrophe in the Chinese province of Chingai. According to China's official news agency, 500,000 animals have died and three million people face starvation. When a similar if much smaller crisis 10 years ago hit Ladakh, in northern Kashmir, thousands of lives were saved by the expert intervention of a British charity, ApTibet, working with the Dalai...

Chinese impose blackout over new Tibetan monk deaths Jane Macartney in Beijing Two monks at a monastery in western China were killed in a clash with paramilitary police last weekend, three Tibetan sources have told The Times. The monks, at a monastery in western Sichuan province, which borders Tibet, were killed in a clash on July 12. For monks of what are popularly known as the “red hat” sects, the date marks one of the most auspicious festivals of the year. It is the first report of the lethal use of gunfire against Tibetan protesters demanding the return of the...

China's attempt to show its modern and orderly side at the Beijing Games next month is succumbing to the reality of a corrupt and unresponsive communist regime. That China believed it could use the Olympics to showcase its advances was a farfetched notion from the outset, in the company of Hitler believing he could use the Berlin Games in 1936 to highlight the superiority of the Aryan race. Several fast runners and swimmers do not reflect the character and strength of a people or confirm the righteousness of a government. A robust medal count is no more than that. The...

When I watch this video, I just can’t stop laughing. Cats think they’re so superior, so when you catch them in moments like this, you can rub their faces in it.

Veteran German shooter Ralph Schumann, who is counted among the present day shooting legends, is looking to extend his feat in the Olympic Games that starts next month. At the Munich World Cup this May, the 46-year-old bettered the world record of men’s 25-meter rapid-fire pistol from 788.8 points to 790.0 points. Before that he had held the record with 786.4 and 787.7 points. “My main motivation is to always prove, not that I’m the best, but that I’ve practiced what I’ve learned to the best of my ability during the competition,” he said. Born in Meissen in Saxony, Schumann...

From the moment that the IOC bestowed the Olympic Game upon Beijing there was never any doubt that there would be controversy. However, I do not think that the Chinese people were really prepared for the protests and other backlash that followed the Torch on its ill-fated journey around the world. Even without the international backlash surrounding the Olympics, the first half of 2008 has been full of confusion, disappointment, and heartache for the Chinese people. The harsh and deadly winter, the tragic train crash in Shandong, the earthquake in Sichuan, and numerous floods in the South of China are...

China faces its worst power shortage in at least four years as soaring coal prices and government-set electricity tariffs force dozens of small power plants to shut rather than face mounting losses.Almost half of China's provinces have started to ration electricity as the country enters the peak summer season, facing what analysts describe as its worst coal shortage. Analysts warn that this year's electricity shortfall could be more severe than in 2004, when the country was affected by its worst power shortage in decades because of soaring demand for power as the economy boomed. China's problems mirror those of other...

Pausanias, a travel writer of the ancient world, described this course for horse races, its starting mechanisms, turning points and altars in much detail in the 2nd century AD... Another - previously unheeded - written source from the 11th century AD goes so far as to state the size and dimensions of the enclosure: "The olympiad has a course for horse races that [has a length of] 8 stadia. Each of the long sides is 3 stadia and 1 plethron long, while the width to the starting gates measures 1 stadion and 4 plethra, [a total of] 4800 feet. Near...

BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- If bad weather threatens the August 8 opening of Beijing's Olympic Games, then meteorologists may change the weather, according to a Chinese meteorology official.

Justus Nduwugwe Abuja China's drive into Africa's financial services sector has taken a fresh turn, with China Development Bank entering a partnership with United Bank for Africa, one of Nigeria 's biggest banks. The deal, sealed last month is expected to expand the Chinese bank's ability to finance infrastructural projects in Africa . News of the agreement follows last week's announcement that Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, another state bank, was buying a 20 per cent stake in South Africa 's Standard Bank for $5.56 billion. CDB has not bought equity in UBA, which is listed on the Nigerian...

Beijing 2008: China invites Sonia, not PM or Prez 14 Jul 2008, 0006 hrs IST,TNN NEW DELHI: Eighty heads of state and government will grace the Beijing Olympics in August but PM Manmohan Singh will not be among them. Not because he is too busy, but because he was not invited. In fact, neither India's head of state nor government have been invited, with the invitation going to its most important politician, Sonia Gandhi. The Congress chief is unlikely to attend, leaving that job to sports minister M S Gill. But even if you are really charitable, it can't be...

Beijing's forthcoming Olympic Games does not appear to be drawing as many people to the capital as expected this year. Figures show the number of international tourists visiting the Chinese capital fell by more than 14% in May compared to the year before. Officials had hoped the Olympics would help attract increasing numbers of foreign tourists to Beijing throughout the year and beyond. But tougher visa requirements, and concerns that officials are more worried about security than organising a party, appears to have dampened demand. Figures from the Beijing Tourism Bureau show there were far fewer visitors from Japan, South...

"Canine cuisine is being sent to the doghouse during next month's Beijing Olympic Games. Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday. "

I was evicted because of security clampdown for the Beijing Olympics Jane Macartney in Beijing I will miss the tree-lined alley in the heart of Beijing that has been my home for three years. But the security clampdown for the Beijing Olympics has edged into even this narrow lane. It was always clear that the Olympics would disrupt the lives of the people of Beijing, that security would be intense and the rules and regulations deeply intrusive. But it's always a surprise when this happens to you. The underlying factor in all this is fear. Fear pervades the system in...

Chris Grissom and his wife were sitting up in bed at the Hotel Blake the evening of July 3 watching "The Late Show With David Letterman" as their two children, ages one and four, slept in the next bed. That's when they heard what Grissom said sounded like a firecracker in the next room. » Click to enlarge image Tennessee native Chris Grissom posted a video to YouTube that shows how a bullet hit the Hotel Blake and traveled through his family's hotel room and ended up in the room adjacent to theirs. (YouTube.com) RELATED STORIES Weis meets with aldermen...

The BBC has found the first evidence that China is currently helping Sudan's government militarily in Darfur. The Panorama TV programme tracked down Chinese army lorries in the Sudanese province that came from a batch exported from China to Sudan in 2005. The BBC was also told that China was training fighter pilots who fly Chinese A5 Fantan fighter jets in Darfur.

China's "Live" Olympic Broadcast Will Be Delayed 10 Seconds to Avoid Airing any Embarrassing Political Episodes By chinafreepress.org Jul 8, 2008 - 11:41:36 PM To avoid broadcasting any undesirable incident, China's government has instituted a 10-second delay on the "live" broadcast of the Olympics. According to sources, the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party has ordered all regional television stations to implement a 10 second delay on their "live" Olympic broadcast. This delay order is meant to protect against any political protest--whether shouting a slogan or unveiling a banner--being broadcast, including any by foreign athletes in competition or...

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US lawmakers on Friday "strongly condemned" what they called Beijing's harsh pre-Olympic crackdown in China's Muslim-populated far northwest Xinjiang region. The bipartisan leadership of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in a statement cited "credible" reports about a July 9 conviction in a closed trial of 15 minority Muslim Uighurs on terrorism charges that led to "the immediate execution of two" of them. Three others were given suspended death sentences and the remaining 10 received life imprisonment, it said. These are "abuses of due process and rule of law," said caucus co-chairmen Democrat Jim McGovern and Republican Frank...

BEIJING: Chinese authorities have replaced top police and security officials in the Muslim-dominated Xinjiang province, which is the hotbed of separatism and political violence. They have also closed down 41 "illegal" places of worship.These places of worship were used as training ground for conducting a "holy war", Chen Zhuangwei Chen, the police chief of Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang province, said. Xinjiang, which borders central Asia and Pakistan, has been the scene of a pro-independence movement by a section of the eight million Uighurs living there for a long time. The authorities also announced they have detained 82 "suspected terrorists"...

In the end, the Chinese government does not really care about the escalating violence in Sudan. As long as its investments and workers in Sudan are protected, it views the human rights issues as an internal Sudanese matter. In fact, the CCP is most likely sympathetic to the Sudanese government; after all, China has also been a victim lately of what the CCP would consider to be international ‘meddling’ in the case of Tibet. The CCP’s failure to promote positive change in Sudan is simply a manifestation of its own failures in China. Until China can improve the human rights...

Cross over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, head north for half an hour, and you'll reach Mount Tamalpais State Park, home to redwood groves and, a little ways up, panoramic views of the bay. As it turns out, though, the park is also home to large amounts of pollution from Asia--dust, sulfur, trace metals--blowing in from across the Pacific. "We call it the persistent Asian plume," says Steven Cliff, an atmospheric scientist currently working with the California Air Resources Board. On some days, one-third of the state's background air pollution can be traced to Asia, and researchers are now looking...

Olympic Games: China curbs Tiananmen Square live broadcasts Broadcasts from Tiananmen Square have been banned Ashling O'Connor Olympics Correspondent The Chinese authorities have banned round-the-clock broadcasts from Tiananmen Square during the Olympics. Beijing Games organisers yesterday cited fears of overcrowding as they told international broadcasters that they could set up live positions only between 6am and 10am and 9pm and 11pm local time because of competing demands for the world's largest urban square from tourists, heads of state and other VIPs. The restrictions mean that the BBC's stock-in-trade live interview with its correspondent will be missing from primetime news programmes....

PARIS: President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, whose office announced Wednesday that he would, after all, attend the opening ceremonies of Beijing's Olympic Games, was warned by China on Tuesday not to meet with the Dalai Lama in France next month. China's ambassador to France, Kong Quan, told reporters there would be "serious consequences" for Chinese-French relations if Sarkozy meets the Dalai Lama, asserting that it "would be contrary to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs." Sarkozy has been vague on whether he will meet personally with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader in exile, regarded by China as a...

This article was written for Danwei by Chinapat The Olympics in Beijing has become a platform for rapid technology development and deployment in China. One of the new technologies becoming more commonplace is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). Beijing has been using RFID subway passes for a while, and nothing but the best for the 2008 Games means RFID tags in the tickets. A source at BOCOG has offered more details about the RFID-enabled tickets being issued for the Beijing Olympics this summer: All tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies will include RFID tags containing personal information about the ticket...

As I wrote about a few months ago in an article entitled Why Bush is Quiet on Tibet, Mr. Bush is simply adhering to a foreign policy towards China that was in place long before he was elected to office. Since 1979, when the United States officially switched diplomatic recognition of China from Taipei to Beijing, Washington has seemed to have had a special place in its heart for the Communist giant. The unique and yet often tumultuous relationship that the U.S. and China have shared over the past almost thirty years is not based soley on economic incentives as...

Dara Torres just won the women's 50 meter freestyle race in the Olympic trials in Omaha, NB, setting a new American record time in the process. Nothing new in that, right? Wrong! This is her fifth Olympics at age 41. Last night she set a new record in the 100 meters freestyle, too. As a has-been college swimmer, I can't imagine being competitive at that age, let alone still setting records. Finally, she has a smile and warmth that could melt even a liberal's heart (if they have one). What a great story!

President Bush on Sunday defended his decision to attend the opening ceremony of the Summer Games in China, saying he does not “need the Olympics” to express his concerns regarding the country’s human rights record. While some world leaders have stated that they would skip the ceremony to highlight a Chinese crackdown in Tibet, Bush argues that he does not need to take such a step to address the issue. “I had the honor of dealing with the Chinese -- two Chinese presidents during my term, and every time I have visited with them I have talked about religious freedom...

"President Bush on Sunday defended his decision to attend next month's Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, saying that to boycott "would be an affront to the Chinese people."" "Speaking to reporters ahead of this week's summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in Japan, Bush said he did not need to skip the ceremony to show his position on religious freedom and human rights in China. "

Pollution around the Olympic stadium in Beijing could be five times worse than levels deemed safe by the World Health Organisation. Chinese officials admit they can no longer guarantee that the air quality will match international standards as pollution tests by The Sunday Times revealed the full extent of the challenge facing British athletes...... ......Even the Chinese government’s official air pollution index — which monitors a range of pollutants, including carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide — is running at double the level recommended by the WHO. Du Shaozhong, deputy director of Beijing’s Environmental Protection Bureau, said: “We made a commitment...

LOOP | Weis says Taste safety 'undisputed' after man slain, but source notes gang presence at food fest -- 3rd burst of gun violence in 4 yrs. Hours later, three people were shot, one fatally, as hundreds of thousands of people streamed out of Grant Park after the fireworks and the Taste of Chicago. Police are investigating reports of a fourth person shot, said Monique Bond, spokeswoman for the Chicago police department, on Saturday morning. This is the third time in the last four years that gun violence has erupted at or near the Taste. With the world's eyes on...

Sarkozy not welcome at Olympics, say China media Thu Jul 3, 2008 6:35am EDT By Chris Buckley BEIJING (Reuters) - China made a barely veiled swipe at French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday and state media warned he can expect a cold public shoulder if he attends the Beijing Olympics after he threatened not to go over Tibet. Sarkozy has said he will decide next week whether to attend the opening of the Games in August, with his choice depending on how talks go between Beijing and the Dalai Lama's envoys. China often lashes out at foreign leaders for meeting...

BEIJING (Reuters) - China made a barely veiled swipe at French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday and state media warned he can expect a cold public shoulder if he attends the Beijing Olympics after he threatened not to go over Tibet. Sarkozy has said he will decide next week whether to attend the opening of the Games in August, with his choice depending on how talks go between Beijing and the Dalai Lama's envoys. China often lashes out at foreign leaders for meeting the exiled Dalai Lama or criticizing its policies in Tibet, which it calls an internal affair. In...

July 04, 2008 Members of China’s armed police demonstrate a rapid deployment during an anti-terrorist drill held in Jinan, east China on Wednesday, roughly one month ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games. [AP/XINHUA]

China in major battle against locusts; hopes to prevent migration to Beijing BEIJING - More than 33,000 exterminators have been dispatched to battle a locust infestation in northern China. The official Xinhua news agency says officials hope the effort will prevent a potentially disastrous migration to the Beijing area during next month's Olympic Games. The insects, which devour crops, routinely plague Inner Mongolia, which is home to one-fifth of China's grasslands. Xinhua quotes one top agriculture official as saying China has launched a `full prevention plan' to prevent locust migration during the Games. Under the plan, some 200 tonnes of...

Tibet and China by: Melinda Zosh, July 03, 2008 Dr. Warren Smith Jr., author of China’s Tibet?, recently said that the March 14 riots in Tibet were the largest since 1989 and the bloodiest since 1959. With the Olympic games quickly approaching, China is trying to cover up its acts of violence. Smith, a New Age thinker, spoke at the Heritage Foundation on June 17 about Chinese-Tibetan relations, Tibet’s bloody past, and the country’s uncertain future. “….The popular Tibetan reaction has had an air of finality, even desperation, about it, as though 2008 is the last chance Tibetans may have...

Chinese security forces are putting pressure on angry parents to abandon demands for a full investigation into why so many schools collapsed in the May earthquake in Sichuan province and have rounded up human rights workers in the earthquake-ravaged region. In tent cities that have sprung up throughout the region, soldiers carrying batons patrol the streets and security agents and police have stepped up efforts to muzzle any sign of “social instability”. An atmosphere of anxiety reigns among the parents of children killed in school collapses in the towns of Mianzhu and Dujiangyan as government and security officials apply increasing...

(CNSNews.com) - As the White House moved closer to confirming that President Bush will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing next month, China's foreign ministry slammed two visiting Republican lawmakers who again raised the possibility of a boycott. Reps. Chris Smith of New Jersey and Frank Wolf of Virginia should "stop their arrogance" and actions that undermine U.S.-China relations, ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Tuesday. Liu warned that the lawmakers were acting outside the bounds of the purpose of their visit, which he said was to hold "internal discussions" with American colleagues at the U.S. Embassy....

BEIJING: With less than six weeks before it plays host to the Olympic sailing regatta, the city of Qingdao has mobilized thousands of people and an armada of small boats to clean up an algae bloom that is choking large stretches of the coastline and threatening to impede the Olympic competition.Local officials have initiated an all-out effort to clean up the algae by mid-July. Media reports estimate that as many as 20,000 people have either volunteered or been ordered to participate in the operation, while 1,000 boats are scooping algae out of the Yellow Sea. The official news agency, Xinhua,...

Wang Cheng has the perfect remedy for athletes struggling to recover from injury during the Beijing Olympics. “Deer's penis,” she said, proferring a desiccated sample across the counter of the Tongrentang traditional Chinese medicine store in central Beijing. “Mix it with some alcohol, take it every one or two days, and you'll soon feel better,” Ms Wang, a graduate in Chinese traditional medicine, said.

It is interesting to see the world’s worst human rights abuser call for a wall to stop people fleeing from their human rights abuse. "Tibetans fleeing from China come to Nepal on way to India through this open border," officials in Beijing were quoted as saying by ''Nepal'' weekly. They want Nepal to stop the common people flee Tibet and take refuge under Dalai Lama in India. But how about treating Tibetans like human beings? How about stopping illegal occupation of Tibet? How about allowing Tibetans worship their God and choose their leaders? The Chinese occupation of Tibet must come...

Pistol may hand advantage to those closest to the starting official.Most competitions use individual speakers so everyone hears the same starting blast.Ingram Publishing (Superstock Limited) / Alamy The Olympics may not be the bastion of pure sporting contest that people might think. Although the pistol used to start sprint events in the Games might make good theatre, it may mean that sprinters in lane 1, nearest the gun, get away from the blocks faster. Most international athletics competitions use speakers behind each athlete to broadcast the start signal. The Olympics uses this system but also increases the drama of the...

They have battled dense smog, strong tides and no wind but now British sailors training for the Beijing Games are contending with mutant seaweed that has invaded the Olympic venue in China. The bright green algae, described as “thick as a carpet”, is making it impossible for dinghies to navigate the course that will host the Olympic regattas in less than two months. Wrapping itself around keels, bringing the boats to a standstill, the seaweed is believed by experts to have drifted in from the Yellow Sea to the eastern coastal city on the back of bad weather during the...

A conversation with Mia Farrow and Bernard-Henri Lévy, moderated by Dinaw Mengestu | June 2008 Part 1: French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy on how 3 great ideas of the political left have backfired on the people of Darfur The following Guernica program took place at PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, on April 29, 2008, at Flourence Gould Hall in New York City. This is the first of three parts. To listen to the program in its entirety, please go here. Runs about 90 minutes. Dinaw Mengestu: The title of this conversation is Crisis Darfur, and I can’t quite give...

THE TORCH IN THE WILD WEST Faking the Olympic Spirit in China's Muslim Region By Andreas Lorenz The Olympic torch is in China's far West and security is tight. Still, there are some who came out to celebrate the event -- 200 invited guests and a handful of well-trained Uighar schoolchildren. Journalists were watched closely. A gigantic statue of Mao waves to the people who have gathered in his shadow on Wednesday morning to celebrate the Olympic flame. But despite the size of the stone figure, there aren't many milling about on Kashgar's main square: Perhaps 200 invited guests --...