China

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Great Heights Indeed for Ukraine Giant

8-foot-5 former veterinarian is world's tallest living man

(Newser) - Leonid Stadnik knows how the weather is up there. The 8-foot-5 Ukrainian was declared the planet's tallest man by Guinness World Records yesterday, the AP reports, displacing a 7-9 Mongolian. Stadnik is 6 inches short of the all-time mark, held by an American.

Beijing Smog May Postpone Olympic Events

With exactly 1 year to go, China scrambles to reduce pollution

(Newser) - The air pollution in Beijing is so bad that some 2008 Olympic events may have to be postponed. IOC president Jacques Rogge is worried about participants in endurance events like cycling because air quality remains dismal despite government efforts, such as shutting down factories, to improve it. Construction for the...

China to World: Got Milk?
China to World: Got Milk?

China to World: Got Milk?

Chinese craving for dairy could trigger global price rise

(Newser) - Prices of dairy products are likely to rocket in the wake of a massive rise in global demand triggered by new consumer juggernaut China, the BBC reports. China's taste for milk and cheese is outpacing its domestic dairy industry's ability to keep up, and prices in other countries will rise...

River Dolphin Declared Extinct
River Dolphin Declared Extinct

River Dolphin Declared Extinct

Scientists failed to find species in expedition

(Newser) - Calling it a "shocking tragedy," a team of marine scientists have declared the Yangtze river dolphin "likely extinct" after their failure to find a single animal in a recent research expedition. The scientists blamed massive over fishing along the Yangtze as the primary cause of the species'...

China Threatens to Crash Dollar
China Threatens to Crash Dollar

China Threatens to Crash Dollar

(Newser) - The Chinese government is threatening to crash the American dollar by liquidating its $1.33 trillion in foreign reserves if the US dares impose trade sanctions to force a revaluation of yuan, reports the Telegraph. Two Communist Party officials have given interviews in recent days with stern warnings directed at...

In Countdown to 2008 Olympics, Beijing Besieged

Pollution, human rights, food safety issues all draw fire

(Newser) - As the one-year countdown to the Beijing Olympics begins tomorrow, activists and Olympic organizers alike have been vocal in their concerns about the host city. The government is under fire for press harassment: journalists were detained for several hours yesterday after a Reporters Without Borders conference, and six Free Tibet...

Rockets Star Yao Marries
Rockets Star Yao Marries

Rockets Star Yao Marries

Bride stars in national b'ball team

(Newser) - Gargantuan Houston Rockets center Yao Ming and his Chinese girlfriend—a hoops star in her own right—got hitched in Shanghai yesterday, People magazine reports. The 7'6" Ming and 6'2" Ye Li held the ceremony and reception at the lush Shangri-La hotel with 70 guests—and close to 100 reporters...

McDonald's Plans Raise for Chinese Workers

Union criticism, bad press prompt chain-wide wage hike

(Newser) - Bowing to pressure from the state labor union and attempting to counter negative publicity, McDonald's will raise wages for its Chinese employees. The fast-food megalith will boost the pay of 45,000 full- and part-time workers by an average of 30%, the Wall Street Journal reports, and issue counter workers...

Chinese Official Sorry for Phony Dumpling Story

Cardboard food exposé was fake, but China's media troubles aren't

(Newser) - China's top propaganda official has apologized for a TV exposé on cardboard-filled dumplings after it turned out to be full of hot air, the Times reports. A reporter was detained for the fake July segment that showed dumpling vendors replacing meat with cardboard soaked in caustic soda and pork flavoring.

Game Over: Mahjong Can Cause Epilepsy

(Newser) - Playing the traditional Chinese tile game of mahjong can induce epileptic fits, a new study from Hong Kong shows, and the only remedy is to lay off the tiles. Men were far more susceptible than women, according to the authors, and it wasn't just lack of sleep or gambling stress...

New Buddhas Made in China, Bejing Decrees

Tibetans forbidden to anoint successors to Dalai Lama

(Newser) - China's office of religious affairs has cracked down on the Tibetan practice of designating "living Buddhas," writes the Telegraph. A notice published yesterday forces Tibetan lamas to obtain Chinese permission before naming reincarnations. The exiled Tibetan government suggests the new rules signal that Beijing will try to name...

Chinese Markets Surge to Record High

Investors fight off anxiety over US subprime woes

(Newser) - China’s securities markets recovered from Wednesday’s Pan-Asian slump and then some, surging to their third new record this week in today's trading. The Shanghai Composite Index climbed 3.5% and the Shenzhen gained 2.3% after the codependent Nikkei and Hang Seng tumbled Wednesday on concerns about the...

Swiss Army Eyes Outsourcing
Swiss Army Eyes Outsourcing

Swiss Army Eyes Outsourcing

Opposition mounts against outsourcing a legend

(Newser) - Can a Swiss army knife be made in China and still cut it as an icon? That's become a hot political topic in Geneva since the army announced that, under WTO rules, they have to open up the manufacture of their signature knives to bids from companies in other countries....

Mattel Recalls 1.5M Toys Made in China

Lead-tainted paint the culprit in Sesame Street, Nick items

(Newser) - Mattel is recalling some 1.5 million Chinese-made toys found to have "excessive levels" of lead in their paint. The Elmo's Guitar, Ernie Splashin' Fun Trike and 81 other  types of toys, mostly Nickelodean and Sesame Street products, were marketed under Mattel's Fisher-Price brand and cost between $5 and...

Gas-Powered Roller Skates Skid in Britain

Safety officials seize illegal 20 MPH "gas shoes" from China

(Newser) - British officials seized 50 pairs of motorized roller skates that can hit 20 mph in just 20 seconds. The Brits say the Chinese "gasoline skating shoes," which are controlled by a hand-held throttle, reach dangerous clips and expose young speedsters to falls and sudden stops that pitch them...

Harry Potter and the Chinese Knockoffs

Culture of piracy leads to illegal copying, unrelated spin-offs

(Newser) - The titles are unintentionally hilarious—Harry Potter and the Big Funnel, Harry Potter and the Chinese Porcelain Doll—but China's thriving piracy industry is no laughing matter. The Times looks at the phenomenon of "Harry" knockoffs, a problem so widespread that one estimate puts the percentage of illegal books...

China Flood Toll Nears 700
China Flood Toll Nears 700

China Flood Toll Nears 700

Millions homeless in devastating deluge

(Newser) - Massive flooding, landslides, and mudflows caused by weeks of violent rainstorms have killed 652 people in China and forced 5M out of their homes. Across the country, 452,000 houses have been destroyed, and officials are forecasting continued severe rain for China's southwest, northeast, and northwest regions in the coming...

High Food Prices Hurt World's Poor
High Food Prices Hurt World's Poor

High Food Prices Hurt World's Poor

Relief groups find resources, ability to help stretched thin

(Newser) - For the world's poorest people, the quantity and quality of food are increasingly at risk. Wholesale prices of  basic foods are 21% higher now than in 2005, with grain surging more than 30%. What's more, the total volume of food delivered by US-funded groups has declined 52% in the last...

Companies Cash In on Food Scare
Companies Cash In on Food Scare

Companies Cash In on Food Scare

As fears about imports from China mount, premium products flourish

(Newser) - The contaminated-import crisis, set off when potentially dangerous products from China turned up on the shelves of pet stores, supermarkets, and drugstores, has meant bigger profits for clever companies. BusinessWeek looks at several strategies: using only fresh, local ingredients in premium products; finding ingredients from somewhere other than China; and...

Barclays Bid Gets Backing From the East

China, Singapore put up cash for ABN Amro takeover offer

(Newser) - The Chinese and Singaporean governments have invested almost $5 billion in Barclays, helping the firm float more cash for its bid for ABN. The state-run companies would invest even more if the bid succeeds, which would leave the Chinese state with a holding of 7.7% of the world's new...

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