With all the bad press surrounding Steven Spielberg's Olympic boycott, Beijing seems to be scrambling to action to diffuse all the negative publicity by wooing a most unlikely target, the Pope. From Michael Sheridan of the Sunday Times (UK):TEMPTED by the prize of a historic visit to China by Pope Benedict XVI, the nation’s leaders have authorised a renewed effort in confidential discussions with the Vatican to heal their rift and inaugurate diplomatic ties. The......

Reuters has picked up where the Sunday Times in London has left of. 10 workers are said to have died in the construction of the Olympic stadium and their deaths covered up with unusually high amounts of compensation.......

- ESWN has translated the sad story of a 31 year old woman who left a goodbye note on her blog before commiting suicide because of her unfaithful husband, an employee at Saatchi & Saatchi Beijing. The story is now making the rounds big time in the local advertising scene and has also unleashed a manhunt which saw enraged citizens coming up to his apartment to seek revenge for the dead woman. More pictures here.......

This is the trailer for a new British documentary which the Chinese embassy in London is apparently trying to stop Channel 4 from broadcasting, according to the Sunday Times. From the filmmakers:With extraordinary access to devastated parents desperately searching for their stolen son; a man who brokers the deals and has sold his own offspring; and prospective parents grappling with giving up their soon-to-be-born daughter through lack of options, we are brought face to face......

In his latest article on the recent spate of sex scandals and mistress revolts in China, Michael Sheridan of the Sunday Times (UK) dishes out the latest political gossip in Shanghai and has us wondering who his sources are! He reveals: Every Shanghai official above a certain rank has been required in recent weeks to watch tearful video confessions by 11 of their comrades at the centre of a £200m corruption inquiry, Communist party members......

China's disabled children are sold into slavery as beggars [The Guardian] As Beijing prepares for the Olympics, racketeers live well off their street army of exploited teenagers. China overtakes Germany as world's No 3 carmaker [The Guardian] Figures show China increased its vehicle output by 30% last year and is closing in on Japan's No 2 spot. Huaihe River faces severe flood-control challenge [China Daily] The middle and lower reaches of the Huaihe River, China's......

The raddest thing in the world happened on Sunday when a ceremony was held in Shunde (near Hong Kong) to formerly inaugurate the planning of a new theme park based on kung fu legend Bruce Lee! The article entitled, “Ground Broken on the New Bruce Lee Theme Park” comes to us care of the sensible Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) but probably should have been entitled, “Ground Broken and Shattered into a Million Pieces by Lightning-Quick......

In our half-hearted quest to be your source for Mike-Tyson-in-Shanghai news (really, there doesn't appear to be much competition), we offer you the latest, which isn't much: Mike Tyson, the former World Heavyweight Champion, arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport this morning, for a three-day visit in the city. A large crowd greeted Tyson at the airport when he arrived, however, he was quickly whisked off to Jinjiang Hotel on No.59, Maoming Road S., one......

Chinese Communist Party officials will be forced to make known their extramarital indiscretions after a very public break-up between one disgruntled mistress and her CCP-employed ex-lover. Ex-beauty queen Da Beini has been described as "the richest mistress in Shanghai", a reputation secured by her attempt to sell the many gifts bequested by her former lover on an online auction site. Items up for grabs include designer clothing and handbags, a luxury Lexus, a villa in......