The Beijing Olympics will become the most viewed Games in their 112-year history, boosted by a hugely popular Internet platform, the IOC said on Wednesday. The International Olympic Committee said viewing figures in key regions, including the United States, were very promising and would eclipse past records set at the Athens 2004 Olympics.
Everybody seems to be expressing regret about the smog to everybody else in Beijing, observes Sheela Bhatt
Olympic organisers vowed to tighten security in central Beijing on Sunday after a US tourist died in a stabbing attack.
In a surprise development, a top Chinese military general has cast aspersions on the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s much-publicised 'real combat-oriented exercises' as 'fake combat capabilities' at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered it to prepare for 'maritime military struggles' to win wars.
China on Monday dismissed the existence of a 'median line' in the volatile Taiwan Strait after Taiwan's defence ministry said it detected a record 103 Chinese warplanes flying around the self-ruled island in a 24-hour period.
China plans to build a second airport in Beijing, which is expected to handle 60 million passengers a year, at a cost of whopping $15 billion to meet the growing rush of air-travellers in the country.
The overall confirmed cases on the mainland have reached 81,708 by Sunday, including 1,299 patients still being treated, 77,078 patients discharged after recovery, and 3,331 people died of the disease.
China and the United States were headed for a major diplomatic confrontation as Washington on Wednesday ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, a move it said was aimed 'to protect American intellectual property and private information', hinting at cyber espionage.
The MEA said the two sides shared their perspectives on the matter in the talks held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere.
There is a relation between pollution and climate change, the environment minister said, adding that 40 per cent of India's total power capacity will come from renewable sources before 2030.
Kazak weightlifter Ilya Ilyin has been stripped of the gold medals he won at the Beijing and London Olympic Games after failing doping tests in re-analysis of samples, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday.
Each time an Indian minister visits Arunachal Pradesh, the tinpot Communists in Beijing's Zhongnanhai get worked up and mutter threats.
World number one Novak Djokovic blasted past qualifier Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-2 to reach the second round of the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.
Parts of north China will see the worst smog so far this year the National Meteorological Centre said on Saturday.
Jaishankar also spoke about how he expected a change in Russia's direction towards the rest of the world and it may likely want multiple options in Asia.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it had disqualified weightlifting gold medallists Cao Lei (75kg), Chen Xiexia (48 kg) and Liu Chunhong (69kg) from the Beijing Games after they tested positive for prohibited substances.
On Thursday, in his first interview with the local media since assuming office, Muizzu said India was instrumental in providing aid to the Maldives and has implemented the "greatest number" of projects.
India will not tailor its policies to suit US EV maker Tesla, and its laws and tariff rules will be formulated to attract all-electric vehicle manufacturers from across the world to set up a base in the world's fastest-growing economy, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said. Tesla has been seeking an initial tariff concession that would allow it to offset 70 per cent customs duty for cars priced less than $40,000, and 100 per cent for cars of higher value.
Back in 2008, Vijender became the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal.
'The future of BRICS is under stress as Chinese attempts to expand the platform are being resisted by India and Brazil.' 'Beijing is focused on a quick expansion with the aim of giving the platform a distinctly anti-Western orientation, which New Delhi and Brasilia seem to have no interest in,' notes Harsh V Pant.
We all know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will turn 74 on September 17, but do you know how old these leaders are?
Adding a new dimension to Sino-India ties, the Congress and Communist Party of China are set to institutionalise their relationship when Sonia Gandhi undertakes a visit to Beijing from Thursday. The United Progressive Alliance chairperson, along with Rahul Gandhi, have been invited by the CPC leadership to attend the inaugural ceremony of Beijing Olympics on Friday, a gesture that demonstrates the significance China accords to her.
China Thursday offered to play a 'constructive role' to ease tension between Pakistan and Iran following their missile strikes against each other over the last two days and asked the two countries to 'exercise restraint and calmness and avoid escalation'.
The eastern theatre command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army successfully completed all tasks of its combat readiness patrols and exercises around Taiwan Island, official media in Beijing reported.
Known as the "the world's most profitable high-speed rail," the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway covers more than 1,300 km within five hours.
China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang has not been seen in public since June 25. Is he unwell, or has he been purged?
The three wushu fighters from Arunachal Pradesh were issued stapled visas instead of stamped ones, India's foreign ministry said.
During the meeting, President Xi addressed the ministers and discussed the bilateral issues among the countries and the issues affecting the South-Asian regions.
Official telecaster Prasar Bharati has got Life Insurance Corporation, Maruti, Suzuki, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), Indian Oil Corporation, BSNL and Samsung on board as sponsors for telecast of the forthcoming Beijing Olympics. But with the tournament starting on August 8, Prasar Bharati is yet to have a presenting sponsor.
China seems more willing to co-operate with India over Afghanistan, but New Delhi should step carefully, says Harsh V Pant
The martial arts discipline will be featured at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as discipline on demonstration.
Tourists visiting Beijing for the 2008 Olympics will get to experience the healing touch of Indian Ayurveda.
Beijing has vowed the Olympic Games will take place under blue skies, not the murky "sauna" haze that has shrouded the city recently, but even on apparently clear days pollution levels may not be safe for athletes. Officials lavished 120 billion yuan ($17.6 billion) on cleaning up the capital with factories dozens of miles away closed down, construction halted, and over half the city's 3.3 million cars cleared from the roads.
"That's why this year I've made a special effort to go and play in Beijing, just to see for myself what the atmosphere is going to be like next year," Dementieva told reporters after beating former world number one Serena in the Moscow final on Sunday.
It is for China to decide what role it plays at the G20 summit in New Delhi, a top US official has said, asserting that if Beijing wants to come in and be a "spoiler", that option is available to it.
A powerful senatorial committee on Wednesday is set to consider a bipartisan resolution to recognise Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India, pushing back against China's military aggression to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control.
With Beijing remaining intransigent on the withdrawal of additional troops deployed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) since the deadly border clash in 2020 in eastern Ladakh, India's bilateral ties with China remained frozen in 2023 with no forward movement on the horizon despite several rounds of diplomatic and military talks.
Top defence officials of India and China on Monday kick-started the two-day annual defence dialogue in Beijing to discuss a host of issues concerning the bilateral military ties including resumption of joint exercises this year.
The Dalai Lama's proximity to the Chinese border will anger the Communist dictators in Beijing, who despise the Tibetan spiritual leader who retains his influence in his homeland 64 years after he fled Tibet.
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