• On the Arrest and Detention of a Man in China…As Documented By His Wife [Aimee Barnes] "This evening I picked up on a simple tweet from Beijing-based @niubi who wrote: “beijing haze: Arrest and Detention http://bit.ly/T9ENI wife blogs trying 2 get hubby out of beijing jail 4 seeing hooker….” While sexcapades with consequence in China aren’t altogether unusual, this particular storyline written from a wife’s perspective happened to catch my attention. I therefore proceeded to check out the links provided which led me to the blog, Beijing Haze, launched less than a month ago by an American woman..."
• Beijing sets 'recycling' day and offers door-to-door collection [China.org.cn] "Beijing's eight urban districts have set down the last Saturday of each month to collect recyclable waste materials such as used paper and plastic bottles. On Saturday municipal authorities set up 18 collection spots in various city communities and made public contact numbers for collection companies designated for each district. Now residents can enjoy door-to-door service by making a phone appointment with collection agencies."
• China Concubines Return Thanks To Increasing Capitalism [Huffington Post] "Concubines are no longer kept hidden away behind closed doors. In modern China's far more open society, concubines can be seen in the shopping malls and cafes of the cities, especially in the south, where there are thousands of what are known as "er nai" or "second breast". By some estimates, more than 90 per cent of the country's most senior officials punished on serious graft charges in the past five years have kept mistresses."

Bill Clinton worked his magic and now Kim Jong-il has granted "special pardon" to Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the two jailed U.S. journalists. According to the official KCNA news agency, "Kim Jong-il issued an order of the chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission on granting a special pardon to the two American journalists who had been sentenced to hard labor in accordance with Article 103 of the Socialist Constitution and releasing them." So five months after they were first trapped in the Northern peninsula, Ling and Lee are finally able to return home to see their families. The Washington Post has a teary feature on that... and just for controversy's sake, they also have an editorial by former U.N. ambassador John Bolton arguing why Clinton shouldn't have gone. more ›

Thankfully, it looks like the story of Euna Lee and Laura Ling is not yet set to end with 12 years in a North Korean prison. Ex-Prez Bill Clinton is now reportedly on his way to Pyongyang to negotiate the release of the two American journalists. "As soon as he arrives, he will be entering negotiations with the North for the release of the female journalists," a Yonhap source was quoted as saying. Lee and Ling were sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp after being found guilty of illegal entry, espionage and hostility towards North Koreans. They had been filming along the border, allegedly shooting a documentary for Current TV on the human trafficking of North Korean women into China. more ›

The trial for American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling in North Korea is coming up this Thursday, amidst rising tensions between Pyongyang and the rest of the world. The two women, who work for Al Gore's Current TV network in the U.S., were detained when they crossed the China-North Korea border in March. more ›

After nearly two months of being detained in North Korea, Asian-American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling will allegedly be put to trial on June 4, according to the AP. The DPRK's Korean Central News Agency did not reveal any other details, including what charges the two face. If they are accused of illegal entry, they could spend up to three years in a labor camp. If they are found to have engaged in “espionage” or “hostility towards North Koreans,” they could add five to 10 years in prison onto their sentence. Lee and Ling were caught filming along the China-DPRK border in March. Both were working for Current TV. more ›