China

Chinese web-users planned to boycott Carrefour from May 1st. But after having firstly added fuel to the fire, the Beijing authorities have finally decided to put a stop to the campaign, with an impressive police effort. See the report.

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Thirty Tibetans accused of taking part in the riots last month have been convicted today with sentences ranging from three years in jail to life imprisonment. One of our Observers has sent us the first images of the trial, made public by the state press agency Xinhua, just as the sentences were handed out. See the pictures.

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These amateur photos, taken after the fatal train crash in Shandong, eastern China, were posted online just hours after the carnage occurred. The collision happened early Monday morning when a coastal bound passenger train jumped the rails and struck a crossing overnight express train. Seventy people have been confirmed dead and over 420 injured. See the photos.

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When a local factory owner filed a case against a power station for stealing his sand and tampering with the land, he did not expect to be found guilty of blackmail. Paraded through the streets for eight hours, condemned in public and jailed for three months, Tang Xiaodong has now launched a campaign to seek justice. Read more...

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Refused in South Africa and turned away from Mozambique, 77 tons of weaponry bound for Zimbabwe are now heading towards Angola in hope of access to land. Will the Chinese vessel succeed in reaching its final destination? Unions, lawyers and anti-arms activists hope not. Read more...

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We've published several posts about the onslaught of online criticism aimed at the Western media, in particular CNN, over its coverage of violence in Tibet. Here's the latest example of CNN bashing : a song originally broadcast on the state TV channel CCTV, is now running rife on the Internet. See the video.

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Chinese web-users angered by disruptions during the Olympic torch's tour through Paris last week are organising a campaign to boycott Carrefour starting May 1st, according to Reuters. Our Observer in China has sent us images of a mini-protest in front of a Carrefour store in Beijing. The police intervened in the affair, but only by asking the protesters to move on. Read more...

UPDATE (18 APRIL 08 10am): Protests against Carrefour have sprung up all over China and the demonstrators have extended their crusade to several other French companies including Luis Vuitton, Sephora and Dior. New pictures at the bottom of the post...

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The Olympic flame had to be put out for half an hour during its tour around Paris because of havoc caused by mainly pro-Tibetan protesters. ChinaWolf, who set up a YouTube channel to "defend the Chinese reputation", explains to us why he thinks the protests were unacceptable. Read more...

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These desperate migrant workers from south east China, who often leave their wives behind to find work, are reduced to paying women ten cents to see their private parts. Read more...

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Since blogger Xu Alun released this documentary on February 10, it's had over half a million hits. It tells the story of three homeless orphans working as coal-haulers in a southern city of China. According to our Observer in Hong Kong, a specialist in social problems in China, this is just one example of millions of "left-behind children" in the country. Read more...

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