China

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Slowly but Steadily, Rights Gaining in China

Dynamic economy means people's freedoms are slowly growing

(Newser) - With the Olympics casting an unflattering spotlight on the state of human rights in China, the New York Times takes a longer view, reporting that freedoms have gradually expanded over decades of economic reform. Repression remains in public expression and assembly, but Chinese people can now often live where they...

China Lowers Internet Firewall
 China Lowers Internet Firewall
Aug 1, 2008 8:22 PM CDT

China Lowers Internet Firewall

Beijing allows access to certain sites to appease Olympics

(Newser) - Facing pressure from the Olympics, Beijing lowered its so-called Great Firewall today to allow access to some news and human rights websites, Time reports. But other sites—like those supporting Tibetan independence or the outlawed spiritual group Falun Gong—remain off-limits in China. And "everyone knows that the minute...

Chinese Cheered by Eclipse
 Chinese Cheered by Eclipse 
Aug 1, 2008 5:23 PM CDT

Chinese Cheered by Eclipse

Nation desperate for good sign a week before Olympics

(Newser) - Finally, China had an act of nature it could celebrate. After an Olympic year of freakish natural disasters, crowds of Chinese watched a total solar eclipse along the country's ancient Silk Road on Friday, one week before the start of the Summer Games in Beijing, the AP reports.

Eclipse Draws 15K to Siberia
 Eclipse Draws 15K to Siberia 
Jul 31, 2008 11:01 PM CDT

Eclipse Draws 15K to Siberia

Thousands flock to Russia for rare solar spectacle despite threat of rain

(Newser) - Prospects of rare total solar eclipse have drawn thousands of sky-watchers to the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, where the moon’s passage between the earth and sun will create 140 seconds of darkness at 5:45 pm local time today. Hotels in the city—Russia’s third-largest—are fully booked,...

Beijing Becomes Obsessed With Rain

Chinese people want some, but not too much, for Olympics

(Newser) - Talking about the weather isn’t just idle conversation in Beijing these days—it’s a national obsession, the Washington Post reports. The country is so anxious for a sunny Olympics—with just enough rain to clear the smog, of course—that changes in the forecast have become front-page news....

Beijing Amps Up Anti-Pollution Measures

New cuts on factories, cars as air flunks tests ahead of Olympics

(Newser) - Beijing today rolled out new emergency measures to ease pollution, with the Olympics just more than a week away. The new rules will close more factories and take more vehicles off the road, in a wider radius around the capital, in the event of “extremely unfavorable weather conditions"—...

Architect: China Stadium Is 'Trojan Horse' for Liberty

Herzog defends decision to design for China

(Newser) - There’s no shame in designing a cultural icon for China’s government, says Jacques Herzog, the man behind the already famous “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium in Beijing. Though he deplores the regime’s political record, Herzog saw taking the project as a way to change more in...

China Censors Web for Olympic Journos

Sites deemed objectionable blocked, despite promises

(Newser) - Journalists covering the Olympic games in Beijing will not be allowed access to websites deemed objectionable by the Chinese government, the BBC reports, in spite of promises from the IOC that Internet access would be unfettered. Blocked sites include pages related to the Falun Gong spiritual group, as well as...

Bush Meets 5 China Dissidents Ahead of Games

White House steps up support for human rights before Olympics

(Newser) - President Bush welcomed five prominent Chinese dissidents to the White House yesterday, a week before he leaves for the Olympics. The invitation was one of several moves to intensify pressure on Beijing to respect human rights. Earlier in the day, Bush urged the Chinese foreign minister, who was meeting with...

Global Trade Talks Collapse
 Global Trade Talks Collapse
Jul 30, 2008 4:32 AM CDT

Global Trade Talks Collapse

Breakdown halts seven years of progress to hammer out deal

(Newser) - World Trade Organization talks to forge a new global trade pact collapsed yesterday after seven years of negotiations. An EU spokesman called the breakdown a "massive blow to the confidence in the global economy." The talks fell apart as China and India demanded the authortity to impose "...

Crouching Tiger Star Stumped by China Protests

Zhang Ziyi dismisses 'negativity' of human-rights protesters

(Newser) - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Zhang Ziyi is perplexed by the pre-Olympic protests over China's human rights record, the AP reports. She told a Vogue interviewer she doesn't understand why people were being "so negative" ahead of the Beijing Games. "The Games are about friendship," Zhang said....

Leonardo Lifted from Chinese, Historian Claims

Popular amateur says texts brought to Italy 'ignited Renaissance'

(Newser) - Leonardo da Vinci’s renowned mechanical drawings were derived from Chinese originals brought to Europe decades before he was born, a British amateur historian contends in a new book. “This was the spark that really ignited the Renaissance,” Gavin Menzies tells Reuters, a claim that could force “...

Pre-Olympics Eclipse May Give Chinese Jitters

A solar eclipse shortly before the Olympics won't bring doom, 'experts' say

(Newser) - Eager to shake its reputation for being superstitious, China will be downplaying a total solar eclipse—once seen as a portent of disaster—Aug. 1, a week before the Beijing Olympics, AFP reports. Feng shui and astrology experts are predicting that the eclipse, visible in China but not Beijing, will...

Amnesty: China Broke Promises of Free Speech

Olympic committee has hushed dissent despite 2001 vow

(Newser) - Ten days ahead of the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony, Amnesty International charged that China hasn’t welched on promises of freedom for activists and journalists it made when it was awarded the Games. “The Chinese authorities are tarnishing the legacy of the Games,” said a rep who called...

China's Thirst for Gaz-Guzzlers Boosts Oil Demand

SUV sales jump 43% over last year

(Newser) - While soaring gas prices are driving Americans to buy more energy-efficient cars, Chinese consumers are opting for gas-guzzling Buicks and Hummers, reports the Washington Post. China accounts for 40% of the world's recent increase in oil demand. There were few private cars in China 15 years ago, but today there...

China Is an Unlikely Superpower
 China Is an Unlikely Superpower 
OPINION
Jul 27, 2008 10:27 AM CDT

China Is an Unlikely Superpower

Despite Americans inflates sense of country's dominance

(Newser) - American pundits are constantly claiming that China will soon overtake the US as the world’s dominant power—but if you look at the facts, that’s just not true, writes John Pomfret in the Washington Post. “Dire demographics, an overrated economy, an environment under siege, and an ideology...

Chinese Gymnasts May be Underage

Passports say girls are 16, but other documents put them at 14

(Newser) - Two of China's Olympic gymnasts may be younger than the cutoff age of 16, although their passports indicate otherwise, the New York Times reports. He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan both hold papers citing 1991 birthdates, but previous competition records indicate they may be just 14. Why would China want to...

China's Wind Power Takes Off
 China's Wind Power Takes Off
Jul 27, 2008 6:09 AM CDT

China's Wind Power Takes Off

Could compete with coal by 2015

(Newser) - Although known for its monstrous appetite for coal, China has spent the last few years ramping up its wind-power capacity, the Guardian reports. The amount of wind power generated has grown over 100% a year since 2005, with enormous wind farms popping up across the country. "It is huge,...

Disney Fever Sweeps Shanghai
 Disney Fever Sweeps Shanghai  
Jul 26, 2008 9:23 AM CDT

Disney Fever Sweeps Shanghai

Residents scooping up property, hoping for a payoff if city gets theme park

(Newser) - As rumors fly about Disney’s interest in building a theme park in Shanghai, residents are already taking action to profit from the project. They're adding on to their property and establishing false businesses, figuring they’ll be compensated for the loss of such holdings if Disney takes control of...

China's Newest Fitness Trend: Pole Dancing

It's aerobic, not erotic, say the regimen's legions of fans

(Newser) - The latest fitness craze among women in China is pole dancing, and it has nothing to do with strippers, reports the New York Times. Drawn for the exercise, camaraderie, and confidence boost, women are flocking to a growing number of gyms and dance classes offering it. Even without the seedy...

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