Wednesday-Night

China denounces Nobel contender
Oct 09 2008 17:10
(FT) Beijing responded to speculation that a jailed Chinese dissident might win the Nobel Peace Prize by denouncing him as a criminal and warning that honouring him would amount to meddling in China’s internal affairs.
6 October
Nobel Peace Prize May Go to Chinese Activist, Angering Beijing
Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) — Two […]

See also China, Beijing Olympics and Olympic Protest Primer
Armed Chinese police still occupy Lhasa six months after riots
The continued paramilitary presence in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, suggests that Chinese officials still fear an uprising similar to the deadly protests six months ago. The Guardian, the first Western news outlet to visit the […]

See also Wednesday Nights 1375 ; 1376 and 1378
Old-School Banks Emerge Atop New World of Finance
by Carrick Mollenkamp and Mark Whitehouse
(WSJ) More than 200 years after it was born at the base of a buttonwood tree, Wall Street as we have known it is ceasing to exist.
The rapid demise of 158-year-old investment […]

This fascinating counter view of the respective roles of the belligerents and those of the U.S. and the U.K. is a must-read. Pay close attention also to the comments regarding China.
From a neighboring state, the view of recent events in Georgia is somewhat different.
A few points for you to consider:
1. Neither Abkhazia, nor South Ossetia […]

Swiss files on rogue nuclear ambitions, CIA dealings destroyed
Switzerland destroyed computer records documenting the business dealings of a family of Swiss engineers with suspected ties to Libya and Iran. Both Swiss prosecutors and international atomic inspectors hoping to discover the full activities of Pakistani nuclear scientist and black-market engineer Abdul […]

NBC coverage and Photos of venues
Reuters   New York Times     CBC

China, Beijing Olympics ; Tibet
Official website
The Official Mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
The Olympic Emblem

Beijing Olympics Most-Watched Event in TV History (Hollywood Reporter)
NBC says it’s official: The Beijing Games has become the most-watched U.S. television event of all time. Through 16 […]

See also Global Treaty on Climate Change
August 13
Elephant seals join fight against climate change
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Elephant seals swimming under Antarctic ice and fitted with special sensors are providing scientists with crucial data on ice formation, ocean currents and climate change, a study released on Tuesday said.
The seals swimming under winter sea ice have overcome […]

China, Beijing Olympics ; Tibet
Official website
The Official Mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
The Olympic Emblem

August 7
Athletes pay price for IOC riches
This is the most extreme case of a longstanding phenomenon of holding Olympics just when sensible citizens (as in Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004), are heading for the hills. It […]

On the eve of the opening of the Beijing Olympics, we have some very special guests, along with the much-anticipated return of Cleo Paskal from her wanderings (who else do we know who covers the UK, Athens, Faroe Islands and India in what seems like a minute?). Cleo […]

Human Rights Watch: Crisis in Darfur

UN extends Darfur peacekeeping mandate, with U.S. exception
The United Nations Security Council voted Thursday to extend the mandate of peacekeeping troops for Sudan’s Darfur region, though Council members remained divided in their response to an International Criminal Court indictment of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. […]