Paralympics - changing attitudes in China [Radio Netherlands] "It's money well spent, but China's own 83 million disabled people no doubt find it more important not to be discriminated against any more by the rest of society, or to be stared at as if they were circus freaks."Woman who stripped during Paralympic opening mentally ill [AFP] "A woman who burst into the Beijing Paralympics opening ceremony and tried to remove her clothes was mentally ill,......

According to the Wall Street Journal, a lawsuit against the Bank of China has been filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming that Bank of China transferred millions of dollars for terrorist groups bent on attacking Israel, ignoring demands by Israeli counterterrorism officials to halt the practice. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of more than 100 victims of terrorism in Israel and alleges that the money was transferred for the militant groups Hamas and......

Benjamin Boukpeti: Picked up the first medal for Togo bronze in the men’s slalom kayak event but the French-born sportsman has only been to Togo once as a child to visit his paternal grandmother! According to Reuters, Boukpeti "only decided to compete for Togo when it became clear he was too old to make it into the far more competitive French team". Michel Phelps: This American swimmer won his 11th Olympic gold, making him......

The idea is simple: get five internationally reknowned directors to make short, impressionistic films about Beijing, showing the people of Beijing in their everyday lives and as they prepare for the Olympics—and in the kindest light possible. The five filmmakers were: Patrice Leconte (France), Andrew Lau (Hong Kong/China), Majid Majidi (Iran), Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy), and Daryl Goodrich (UK). You can find a rundown of each film's style and content as well as a link to......

Japanese investigators have found 'no abnormality' at the dumpling factory in Hebei Province at the centre of a food safety scare in Japan after hundreds of people suffered from pesticide poisoning from eating the dumplings. Traces of pesticide were found on the outside of the dumplings and not in the fillings, leading investigators to point to "deliberate poisoning, rather than accidental contamination". This idea, however, has been rejected by Chinese experts.The world's most powerful music......

Reuters: China urges flexibility from Iran and the West The Press Association: Brown in first visit to China as PM Reuters: UK's Brown urged to press China on human rights Reuters: China housing prices jump 10.5% in December AFP: Kung fu out in Beijing Olympic Games cold Taipei Times: Beijing, not Huang, should be blamed: Chen The Times of India: China is India's largest trade ally Photo from 2 dogs......

It is no secret by now. China executes more people than the rest of the world put together (yes, even more than the Islamic world). In fact, Amnesty International says China carries out about 80 percent of the world's total capital punishments, if not more (1,770 people in 2005). The recent UN vote for a moratorium on executions saw a fractious two-day debate between the anti-execution camp led by Italy and the pro-execution camp led......

Southeast Asian pact exposes rifts [NY Times] Southeast Asian leaders signed a charter here today that was drafted as a watershed document to bind the region together as a European-style economic community but has instead exposed the sharp divisions over Myanmar and other issues among the signatories.Malaysia busts DVD lab in its biggest raid in 2007 [Reuters] Malaysia has raided a laboratory capable of churning out $52 million worth of pirated DVDs a year in......

We've been somewhat faithful readers of Foreign Policy for awhile and noticed that they had a couple of articles that either mention or focus on China in their recent issue. Jeff Chang has written an article called It's a Hip-Hop World where he talks about how globalized hip hop has become, and, in this context, mentions Shanghai. More worrisome than a bunch of seventeen-year-olds in baggy pants is information we found in the article on......

Last weekend, we told you that Yahoo! is now apologizing for not telling the full truth to Congress at the February 2006 hearing where Yahoo! was taken to task for its role in the conviction of Chinese journalist Shi Tao. Now both Republicans and Democrats have launched scathing attacks on Yahoo. San Mateo Democrat Tom Lantos has called Yahoo "moral pygmies", and New Jersey Republican Chris Smith compared Yahoo’s cooperation with the Chinese government to......

China urges UN support for Olympic Truce in 2008 [Bangkok Post] China asked the UN General Assembly Wednesday to adopt a resolution supporting the Olympic Truce, a time-honoured practice from ancient Greece to respect the sportive events that will take place in Beijing next year.French foreign minister in China with sensitive issues on agenda [AFP] France's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner held talks with China's leaders Wednesday to pave the way for President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit......

Yu Zhengsheng replaces Xi Jinping as Party head in Shanghai [Xinhua] Xi Jinping no longer serves concurrently as the Party secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The post is now held by Yu Zhengsheng, according to the CPC Central Committee.Boom in China's coal industry draws increasing interest from American investors and business [IHT] As China's appetite for coal is booming, American investors and businesses are cashing in.India has......

Georgia Popplewell of Global Voices Online has offered a great summary of reactions from the international blogosphere to Friday's announcement that former US vice president Al Gore and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have won this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The China section was a real gem and we thought we'd share it with you! 如果这个美国人当年赢了布什，世界会很不一样！ If this American had won at the time instead of Bush, the world would be a......

Tonight 8pm NEXTSTEP @ Vintage Living 3F, 2068 Nanjing Xilu, by Yongyuan Lu, T: 6249-0469 Calling all Shanghai entrepreneurs! Come meet new faces and get to know other like-minded individuals at this week's NextStep event which features Tony Mustafa of Essential Finance. All are welcome, no membership required, and no cover charge. Wednesday 8pm Shanghai Skate Nights @ Shanghai Concert Hall 523 Yan'an Dong Lu (near Xizang Lu) The bi-weekly Shanghai SkateNights continues to gather......

Despite squandering a two-goal lead, China battled hard to put themselves within touching distance of a place in the second round of the Asian Cup after drawing 2-2 with regional footballing powerhouse Iran last night. China were 1-0 up after just six minutes thanks to a stunning 30-yard free kick from Energie Cottbus midfielder Shao Jiayi. Another well taken goal followed not long after the half hour mark, when Shanghai Shenhua's hot prospect Mao Jianqing......

China got off a a rip-roaring start in its 2007 Asian Cup campaign by pounding joint-hosts Malaysia 5-1 on their own turf last night. Despite a less than perfect build up to the games, including a downright miserable defeat to unfancied Thailand, China swept aside their opponents in a manner few Chinese fans would have dared to imagine before the Asian Cup kicked off. Shandong Luneng striker Han Peng netted a double, midfielder Shao Jiayi,......

Kathmandu, Nepal - Living goddess loses status A 10-year-old Nepalese girl was stripped of her title as a living goddess because she traveled overseas to promote a documentary about the centuries-old tradition, an official said Tuesday. Singapore - Longer-term worry is talent: SM Goh Singapore's current property bubble is a short-term phenomenon that is not a cause for worry, said Singapore's Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, neither is rising costs as it will mean......

Shanghaiist loves lists. We've embraced the love of lists ever since we picked up Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity. So when browsing the morning news yesterday, our honed powers of list detection and surveillance led us to discover that Shanghai has been included in yet another list. Not just any pokey little list might we add, but The Economist magazine's 2007 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey (WCOL) for expatriate workers. So let's get to the......

Officially, at least. Although anyone in Shanghai who wanted to see The Departed already has seen it on a pretty high-quality DVD, news outlets are reporting that the movie will never be shown in China's theaters. Here are the reasons according to one anonymous government source: "There is no chance The Departed will be shown in mainland cinemas because the US side declined to change a plot line describing how Beijing wanted to buy advanced......

The new silk road of weaponry: China to Iran to Hezbollah?China and the CIS countries are applying for heritage status for the actual Silk Road.the first Chinese-owned television station in the Middle East, Alibaba Business News, began broadcasting in the United Arab Emirates.Tomson Riviera finally sold its first apartment. The Pudong flat went for about $16 million US dollars.Manchester City 1, Shanghai Shenhua 0.Say it ain't so: China will eradicate Chinglish signs but luckily, this......

"Minor axis of evil" -- an elliptical (pun intended) statement by which we really mean China consorts with terrorists. Yes folks, this is what the US State Department spokesman implied through his comments regarding Iran's presence at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting. According to this spokesman, inviting Iran over casts doubt on the SCO's self-proclaimed mission of combating terrorism and extremism in the region. What's worse is that we are showing films from that......

The validity of DJ rankings can certainly be debated, and frequently is. Lucky #8 on the oft-lauded DJ Mag poll is Grammy winning Deep Dish. Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi are two Americans (born in Iran) from Washington, D.C., who are among the most well-known and respected artists/producers in electronic dance music today. They hit it big with debut "Junk Science" in 1998 and have been producing and DJing consistently since then. In demand......

We were feeling sorry for ourselves here at Shanghaiist world headquarters earlier today. The Arcade Fire -- one of the best bands on the planet -- is playing in Japan this weekend, and there is no way we can afford to go. You're probably thinking, "Why would you want to go all the way to Japan when Hard Candy and BB Bomb are playing this weekend at Harley's?" And we would respond with expressions akin......