Adam Minter of Shanghai Scrap reveals that Italian reporter Francesco Liello from La Gazzetta Dello Sport — the wonderful guy that conjured up the Olympic Bible ban story which went on to cause quite a bit of a brouhaha — has been carrying the Olympic torch in Hubei, and the best part is, nobody seemed to realise who this guy was or what he did! In related news, China has decided to totally drop the......

The Olympic torch moves today to Qinghai Lake in the Northwestern province of Qinghai, after making a one-day cameo in Lhasa. The Saturday visit to the Tibetan capital was carefully monitored in light of March’s uprising, and tight security continues in the province that was another sight of spring unrest. As the torch makes its way through China’s heavily-minority sections, several pieces of interesting news and commentary have surfaced covering the situations of various ethnic......

Earthquake rescuers took part in yesterday's Olympic torch relay in Shanghai. Two Shanghai residents speak to the BBC about the torch relay.With healthcare facilities in Sichuan province stretched to the limit, a group of four hundred patients have been transferred to Shanghai, with another 2,000 set to arrive early next week.Adam Minter of Shanghai Scrap joined Chinese pilgrims at the Marian Shrine of Sheshan earlier this morning. May 24 has been set aside by the......

The crowds were assembled, the flags were being waved, and the nationalism was fervent — Shanghai was ready for the torch relay. We'd got up nice and early, aiming for People's Square but, due to the volume of people, only making it as far as the corner of Tibet Road (yeah, we know). After waiting in the strong early morning sun for a couple of hours, the chants of "中国加油!“ ("Come on China!") got louder......

That's right, lots of road closures, stronger than average nationalistic fervour, and even more tat being sold on the streets than normal can only mean one thing: the moment we've all been waiting for is here! The international leg of the relay might have been less than harmonious, and it might be three days later than originally expected (following an understandable postponement for this week's official mourning period), but tomorrow [Friday] will see the Olympic......

Just in case you missed it. Via CNN, everyone's favorite cable news network. Since we need to go walk the dogs before it starts raining again, we'll leave you with someone else's commentary (in 140 characters or less): it is a pretty amazing feat. not sure how the brits will top it for the london games..swim it across the channel? More from Google News. Direct link to video here, although you might have trouble accessing......

Direct link here. Click around — there are some neat features (if you are into geeky maps and fire). NOTE: We couldn't get the embed code for the map to work, so you'll have to settle for a screenshot. Haven't had much luck embedding maps from Google China recently — anyone have any insight? Figured it out. But the map is a little wide for the space we have available. Screen cap after the......

You've probably been on the edge of your seat waiting for the latest Olympic torch relay news so here it is. The beleagured sacred flame is making its way through Hong Kong today at the start of its tour of China following a few, shall we say, hiccups during the international relay. Despite the rain, the torch route has been mostly been lined with supporters throughout, many hoping to catch a glimpse of the flame......

She's just jealous Baidu didn't choose her. From ESPN.com: "The violent clashes in Tibet and the failure of the Chinese government to use its full leverage with Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur are opportunities for Presidential leadership," Clinton said in a statement. "These events underscore why I believe the Bush administration has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy towards China. At this time, and in light of recent events, I......

Editor's note: Former Shanghaiist contributor Hélène Franchineau was present at the Olympic torch relay in Paris earlier today and tells us of what she saw and heard. Today at 12:35pm Paris time, the Olympic torch left from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. It was supposed to travel through the capital for 28 km along the Champs Elysées, the City Hall and the Louvre to end its journey at 5pm in front of the......

UPDATE, 20:21: The flame has just been extinguished for a second time amid protests in Paris. Following an earlier disturbance along the banks of the Seine, the flame had been extinguished by officials and put aboard a bus to avoid further protests. The torch was then re-lit and the relay restarted but the procession was again halted and officials once again extinguished the flame and boarded a bus. More to follow shortly... UPDATE, 19:17:......

A protestor is wrestled to the ground after attempting to extinguish the Olympic flame in London. Photo from Andrew Gill Unsurprisingly, given recent events, there have been huge problems with the London leg of the Olympic torch relay in the UK today. Despite the Metropolitan Police launching a huge operation to try and safeguard the flame's path The Guardian reports that there has been a string of major disruptions to the relay:A Free Tibet......