A group of Tibetan activists were detained during protests near the Chinese embassy in New Dehli, India on Monday.
The protests followed two Tibetan monks dying after setting themselves on fire on the eve of a Chinese leaders' gathering. CNN has reported on a number self-immolations in the past from Nbaga county by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule.
[Updated 2:38 a.m.] Two Tibetans died after setting themselves on fire yesterday, said the speaker for the Tibetan parliament in exile. One of them was a 15-year-old monk in Ngaba county, where three monks burned themselves. The other is a 23-year-old woman from a separate incident in the Qinghai Province, said Penpa Tsering from Dharamsala, India, citing sources in Tibet.
[Posted 2:20 a.m.] A teenage Tibetan monk died yesterday and 2 were injured after they set themselves on fire in an act of protest on the eve of a key meeting of top Chinese officials, a Tibetan rights group said.
Chinese prosecutors have put disgraced former leader Bo Xilai under investigation for alleged criminal offenses, China's state news agency Xinhua said Friday.
FULL STORYA 14-year-old gave birth Sunday night, and Monday was on her way to becoming a reality TV star.
The teenager is Mei Xiang, the female giant panda at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. It was her second successful pregnancy with 15-year-old Tian Tian, the zoo's male giant panda, in seven years.
"We are thrilled that Mei Xiang had a successful pregnancy since 2005," said Dennis Kelly, the zoo's director. "I'm cautiously optimistic as we haven't seen the cub yet, but we know that Mei is a good mother. Like everyone else, I’m glued to the panda cam for my first glimpse of the cub!”
Kelly isn't the only one watching the "panda cam" that monitors the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat. So many people are trying to get a glimpse of the new cub that the streaming video online is getting jammed. You can try to access the view here or from the zoo's website. MTV and TLC, take notice.
The widening fallout from an increasingly volatile territorial dispute between China and Japan prompted a Japanese company to halt work at plants in China on Monday, and the United States to urge the two sides to avoid letting the situation spiral out of control.
The electronics company Panasonic said Monday that it was suspending operations at three plants in China after two of them were damaged amid violent anti-Japanese protests set off by the clash between Beijing and Tokyo over a group of small islands in the East China Sea.
Japan calls the islands Senkaku; China calls them Diaoyu.
The United States, a key military ally of Japan, has called on the two sides to find a peaceful resolution to the disagreement, which is generating more and more unease in the region and starting to hurt economic links between the world's second and third largest economies.
"It's in everybody's interest for Japan and China to maintain good relations and to find a way to avoid further escalation," U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday at a joint new conference in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart, Satoshi Morimoto.
FULL STORY
Monsoonal rainfall and a tropical storm cause major flooding in the Philippines. A third typhoon in five days hits China. Weeks of rains and floods have wreaked havoc on parts of Korea.
The recent uptick in tropical activity brings the Western Pacific tropical cyclone season back up to average after a slow start. But several recent flash-flooding events from higher-than-normal seasonal rainfall in southern Japan, as well as North Korea, have left soils full of moisture and vulnerable to additional flooding if typhoons and tropical storms track their way.
This is a very real threat as the Western Pacific tropical season runs year-round, but has a seasonal peak around September, mirroring the tropical Atlantic. We will likely see more flooding disasters around East Asia over the next couple of months as the tropics heat up and cyclones traverse these hard-hit areas from the Philippines all the way to North Korea.
The increased activity always has people wondering: Is this all a coincidence or is something else going on here?
We always say that global warming or climate change does not explain, or cause, specific weather events or disasters. But one of the consequences of climate change, according to climate scientists, is a higher frequency of extreme rainfall events. A warmer climate results in more moisture in the atmosphere from evaporation, and thus, higher rainfall amounts are possible in storms.
Could this be what we are seeing? Perhaps, especially considering we have not seen an increase in the number of tropical storms or typhoons over the past several years, but the number of intense flooding scenarios seem to be in the rise.
Typhoon Haikui slammed into the east coast of China on Wednesday morning, pummeling the area around the business metropolis of Shanghai with heavy wind and rain.
The storm's winds were at "severe typhoon" strength when it made landfall in the province of Zhejiang, about 225 kilometers (140 miles) south of Shanghai, the China Meteorological Administration said. The winds diminished to typhoon strength as Haikui moved inland.
The storm is the third tropical cyclone to make landfall on China's east coast in the past five days, with Typhoon Damrey and Tropical Storm Saola hitting last Friday. The storm threatens to dump heavy rainfall in excess of 150 milimeters (6 inches) on Shanghai, China's most populated city.
Although the storm's winds are expected to weaken as it moves overland, it will continue to dump large amounts of rain on the surrounding area, raising the risk of landslides and flooding.
"The rain is the bigger impact going forward," said CNNI meteorologist Taylor Ward. "We have already had up to 8 inches in some locations."
Ward said another 6 to 10 inches of rain were expected to fall, with "maybe isolated amounts greater."
Fueled by the seasonal monsoon rains and that nearby typhoon, widespread flooding in the Philippines worsened Tuesday, killing at least 11 people, the national disaster agency reported.
A landslide in the Manila suburb of Quezon City buried two houses, leaving nine people dead and four others injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center.Three of the dead were children, the state-run Philippines News Agency reported.
Until this week, badminton probably wasn’t one of the sports that Americans generally linked to cheating and international scandal. More like backyard cookouts and college fitness classes.
Even the college gym types, though, understand there’s an unspoken agreement between participants: Championship or practice, competition or graduation requirement, you will not intentionally lose to a worthy opponent.
Players might balk at this if they’re rewarded for shunning victory. That’s allegedly what was at play this week when four pairs of female badminton players were disqualified from the Olympics, accused of trying to lose their last qualifying-round matches to face easier opponents in the knockout stage.
The players appear to have denied paying spectators of the competitive matches they’d come to see. The London Olympic organizing committee’s chairman, Sebastian Coe, said the incident was depressing and unacceptable.
But it’s not the first time that this has happened in a tournament’s group stage. And it’s not even the only time in these very Games that a team tried not to win.
The coach of Japan women’s Olympic soccer team acknowledged that it intentionally avoided scoring in its third and final group game, a 0-0 draw with winless South Africa on Wednesday, according to The Independent.
Japan would have won its four-team group with a victory. But a draw put it in second, just enough to qualify for the knockout stage.
Japan’s coach says he did it to ensure the team didn’t travel across the United Kingdom. Second place meant it would start the knockout round in Cardiff, Wales, where the squad already was. The winner of Group F, in contrast, will play its first knockout game in Scotland.
“It was important not to move to Glasgow but to stay here and prepare for the next match,” Japanese coach Norio Sasaki said, according to The Independent.
Russia and China vetoed a new U.N. Security Council resolution Thursday that would have imposed new sanctions on the Syrian regime.
Western countries have been pushing for a resolution that threatens sanctions against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad if government forces don't stop attacks.
However, Russia has opposed any international effort that would blame, punish or change the leadership of the Syrian government. Russia and China have vetoed two previous draft resolutions in the U.N. Security Council, leading to accusations that Russia is protecting the Syrian regime.
The resolution also calls for renewing the 300-member U.N. observer mission for 45 days after it was suspended because of violence.
Russia has put forward its own draft, which "strongly urges all parties in Syria to cease immediately all armed violence in all its forms."
U.S. President Barack Obama called his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to discuss the Syrian situation, the White House said in a statement Wednesday.
"They noted the differences our governments have had on Syria, but agreed to have their teams continue to work toward a solution," it said.
FULL STORYEditor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.
Just days after the U.S. Olympic team's opening ceremony uniforms were unveiled, it was also revealed that American designer Ralph Lauren's creations were, in fact, not born in the U.S.A. To our readers, the iconic partnership of Lauren with Team U.S.A. seemed like a guarantee that America's best athletes would be sporting homegrown threads as they represented their country at the London games.
However, this is also not the first time we've encountered mother country disconnect when it comes to Olympic uniforms. Australia's uniforms were made in China, and in 2008, Canadian uniforms came from China, as well. In 2002, American athletes sported berets to the Winter Games in Salt Lake City made by Canadian company Roots.
Our readers took to the comments with outrage that addressed not only the shock factor of the news itself, but what it meant for declining American manufacturing, supporting our own country on multiple platforms and even just how un-American the uniforms appeared in the released photo. Some expressed a little more negativity when it comes to an outsourcing attitude that has developed across the country.
One commenter echoed what many readers felt initially upon seeing the headline.
Ken Ewan: What the hell is happening in the United States? Where is our national pride? Make it happen! It's no wonder we are losing out on the trade deficit with China!
Like the decline of the American automotive industry, readers felt that this was only one thread in the unraveling state of our textile industry. We even released a list of products made in America, which commenters are also adding to, to show how people can still "buy American."
Our commenters were quick to point out their knee-jerk reaction to the style of the uniforms themselves - no matter where they were made.
Wyckette: Ralph Lauren may be an "iconic" American designer, but he certainly isn't "modern." These outfits look like they could have been worn when Gatsby was written. The committee needs to find a designer who will be a "supporter" (does that mean donates the uniforms free-of-charge?) and who can produce a design which reflect the effort the athletes exert to win and the nation they represent. Oh, and someone who can find a manufacturer in America who can produce these for less than $1600 per uniform.
A federal grand jury has indicted two people for their alleged attempts to supply Iran with U.S. materials for gas centrifuges to enrich uranium, the Justice Department said Friday.
The indictment charges Parviz Khaki, an Iranian citizen, and Zongcheng Yi, a resident of China, each with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by conspiring to export the goods without the required license.
Both also face one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, two counts of smuggling, two counts of illegally exporting U.S. goods to Iran in violation of IEEPA and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, the Justice Deaprtment said.
Khaki, 43, was arrested in the Philippines in May. Yi remains art large.
FULL STORY
A Chinese city has canceled a $157 bounty on piranha after people killed too many other fish in a four-day hunt, Chinese state media reported Friday.
Government officials in the southern city of Liuzhou had offered a 1,000-yuan ($157) reward for every piranha caught after at least three of the sharp-toothed fish attacked two swimmers in the Liujiang River over the weekend, biting off parts of one person's finger, state-run agency Xinhua reported.
But no one caught any piranha in the four-day river hunt, according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.
And too many local fish breeds were being killed, including in nets, prompting concern about the river's ecological balance, the head of the local fishery bureau told China Daily.
A 14-year-old from China will become the youngest golfer ever to play in the U.S. Open when he tees it up at The Olympic Club in San Francisco on Thursday.
Andy Zhang got a spot in the 156-player field when England's Paul Casey withdrew on Monday with a shoulder injury, the USGA announced.
"(When I got the call), my mind just went blank," Zhang told GolfWeek. "Then, I said 'Wait! What? I am in the U.S. Open?'
China’s first comprehensive measurement of its Great Wall shows it to be 13,170 miles long – thousands of miles longer than previous estimates – state news outlet Xinhua reported this week.
The length of the Great Wall of China – actually a non-contiguous series of defensive systems involving walls, natural barriers and trenches, built from 475 B.C. to 1644 in various areas to fend off invaders – was determined through surveys that began in 2007 at the direction of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
Partial results of the survey, announced in 2009, showed that the wall systems built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were 5,499 miles (8,851 kilometers) long, Xinhua reported.
Teams then were instructed to identify and measure pre-Ming Dynasty wall systems throughout China. They found them to be 7,671 miles (12,345 kilometers) in length, said British researcher and author William Lindesay, who studies the Great Wall.
“The figure just announced (13,170 miles, or 21,196 kilometers) is a combination of the length of the Ming plus (the) length of pre-Ming Great Walls,” Lindesay wrote to CNN in an e-mail Wednesday.
The British Broadcasting Corp. reported in 2009 that before the initial survey results were announced, the wall’s length was commonly estimated at about 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers).
It may be 23 years since Chinese soldiers gunned down unarmed protesters near Tiananmen Square but memories of that day remain raw for pro-democracy activists within and outside the country.
More than 100,000 people are expected to gather in Hong Kong's Victoria Park Monday night for a candlelight vigil to remember the lives lost when tanks rolled into the Beijing square.
The mainland government still bans public discussion of the events of June 4, 1989, when government forces intent on ending pro-democracy demonstrations opened fire on civilians.
The official Chinese government account said 241, including soldiers, died and 7,000 were wounded.
Rights campaigners say the number of dead was more likely to be in the thousands.
In a written message to be read out at the Hong Kong vigil, Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng implored the Chinese government to "follow the will of Heaven" and advance democratic reforms.
"This Democracy Movement deserves universal approval," Chen said in the statement. "We ask that its requests be treated appropriately. We do not desire revenge but we want to completely reveal the truth. We are in favor of tolerance, but against forgetfulness. People who are forgetful have no future," he said.
FULL STORY
Saying "I do" under unusual circumstances – Most wedding ceremonies are predictable and filled with special traditions and customs. However, we've found a few unconventional weddings off the beaten path, and they are worth a look!
See how a tornado, mermaids and one man's surprise plot played a role in these weddings.
Caleb and Candra Pence exchanged vows as a tornado touched down near their outdoor wedding ceremony in Harper, Kansas.
Two couples in China held their wedding ceremonies underwater in an aquarium.
One woman was shocked when her boyfriend surprised her with a proposal, immediately followed by their wedding.
The United States says it has taken all the necessary steps on its side to admit Chen Guangcheng, the Chinese human rights activist who ignited a diplomatic frenzy when he escaped house arrest last month.
"We are ready when he and his government are ready," said Victoria Nuland, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman, on Tuesday. "We have been for more than a week now in terms of his visa to come pursue his studies."
China has said that Chen can apply to study abroad. But for the time being, he remains in the Beijing hospital room in which he has been staying since he left the refuge of the U.S. Embassy two weeks ago, awaiting his travel documents.
The U.S. authorities have completed all the processing for Chen, his wife and two children to travel to the United States, where Chen has been invited to study by New York University, Nuland said at a regular briefing.
"He is continuing to work with his government," she said. "Our information is that those conversations, contacts, and processing continue."
Nuland's comments came on the same day that U.S. lawmakers listened to Chen describing reprisals that he said his relatives continue to suffer at the hands of the authorities in China.
FULL STORY
Medications made of human tissue have not been found in China, the country's Health Ministry said Tuesday after reports a day earlier that pills made from the flesh of dead babies were smuggled from China into South Korea.
Chinese authorities will conduct an investigation into reports that the capsules, allegedly made from aborted fetuses, were made in China, Deng Haihua, a spokesman for China's Health Ministry, said in a report from the state-run Xinhua news agency. Similar allegations were investigated in August, and nothing was found to substantiate them, he said.
Deng said China has strict regulations to ensure that such a thing could not occur.
According to a report in the Korea Times, 29 smugglers of "human-flesh capsules" have been arrested after trying to bring 11,000 pills into the country while disguised as tourists.
More than 35 cases and more than 17,000 pills have been found by customs authorities since August, the South Korean website Dong-A Ilbo reported.
The pills are taken by people who believe they may help increase stamina, for rejuvenation or by terminal cancer patients, according to the South Korean reports.
South Korean customs officials said they are cracking down on an operation that is smuggling in pills from China made from the flesh of dead babies, according to Korean media reports.
Twenty-nine smugglers of "human-flesh capsules" have been arrested after trying to smuggle 11,000 pills into South Korea from China while disguised as tourists, according to The Korea Times.
“Some put herbs together in the capsules so that customs agents cannot distinguish the unique smell and color of the human-flesh capsules," a Korea Customs Service official told the newspaper. "Others put the capsules in medicine containers to deceive inspectors."
The pills, which are taken by people who believe they may help increase stamina, for rejuvenation or by terminal cancer patients, are made of powder made from dried fetuses or dead babies, the customs office told the Korea Times.
More than 35 cases and more than 17,000 pills have been found by customs authorities since August of last year, the South Korean website Dong-A Ilbo reported.
South Korea's crackdown comes after a documentary called "Lee Yeong-don’s Food X File" aired in April 2011, describing the smuggling of the capsules as well as harmful effects of the pills. The documentary claimed that tests done in South Korea and by KCS showed that the content of the pills they received was "99.7 percent identical with humans," China Daily reported.
The documentary team went to China, where they found and shot video of a hospital that sold materials, according to China Daily. Chinese officials said they have strict rules forbidding the sale of placentas or any medical waste.
The Ministry of Health began investigating the issue after the documentary.
"Since human flesh capsules are confirmed to contain ingredients lethal to humans, including super bacteria, we will preemptively curb their smuggling at borders to protect public health," a customs official told Dong-A Ilbo.
The website reported the capsules were being smuggled from northeastern China after requests from buyers in South Korea.
But now, Korean officials said, they will be putting in effect a significant number of measures to try to stem the smuggling of the pills.
Customs officials will be even more diligent in checking belongings of international travelers as well as global mail, Dong-A Ilbo reported. That includes opening packages and "checking all capsules and powder made from unknown substances" and labeled drugs that come from China.
Imagine the fear of losing control and falling unexpectedly to the ground - or even underground. CNN.com has compiled video of people who have survived such incidents captured on camera. You've gotta watch how they make it through their rough landings.
A man falls from a tower scaffold during a music festival in Sydney and lives to tell the story.
An 18-year-old sits on the handrail of an escalator, loses his balance and falls 20 feet.
A girl chatting on her cell phone in China falls through a sidewalk weakened by water.
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Comments: 'When we were Chinese, we were behind Americans ... I guess I can't win'
Editor's note: We're listening to you. Every day, we spot thought-provoking comments from readers. What follows is a look at some of the most talked-about stories of the day.
They say money makes the world go 'round, but what happens when money goes around the world? Readers weighed in on a report about Knight Frank and Citi Private Wealth's 2012 Wealth Report. The "rich list" postulates that Asia will host four out of five of the world's wealthiest economies by 2050. Comments indicate that residents of the fifth-ranked country, the United States, are probably not alone in pondering their place in the world.
World's rich list shows emerging Asian century
We heard from a lot of readers who said they were skeptical about making assumptions about the future. The following commenter says the grass is always greener somewhere else.
The original poster returned to respond to the chain. FULL POST
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