The $33 billion Beijing-Shanghai high-speed train will start commercial operations today.
Chinese President Hu Jintao officially launched the Beijing Olympic torch relay on Monday at Tiananmen Square.
David Beckham will take centre stage when the Olympic flag is handed to London at Sunday's closing ceremony in Beijing. Beckham, whose popularity in China dwarfs that of even record-breaking swimmer Michael Phelps or sprint sensation Usain Bolt, will take part in London 2012's eight-minute slot in the Games finale designed to showcase the next host city.
'As the infection source has not yet been cut off, numbers of confirmed and suspected SARS cases remain high,' Wang Qishan said.
A majority of athletes in Australia's largest ever Olympic team believe the Beijing Games will be tainted by drug scandals, with nearly a fifth believing an Australian could be among the cheats, a poll showed on Monday. Three-in-four of those surveyed, including high profile swimming captain and two-time gold medal winner Grant Hackett, believed athletes in Beijing would be using performance enhancing drugs.
Indians might have emerged as the new hope for the world travel and tourism industry, but they seem to be giving a miss to the month-long Beijing Olympics slated to begin next month.
Really pained by events in Indian wrestling but hopeful of two medals: Yogeshwar Dutt
China and India have made 'positive progress' to resolve the border standoff, with both sides maintaining close communication through diplomatic and military channels, a senior foreign ministry official said in Beijing on Friday.
Blinken will host his Chinese counterpart in Washington from October 26-28, the state department said in a press release on Monday.
In Tokyo, hundreds of Japanese citizens came out on the streets to express solidarity with the oppressed people of Tibet, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo said on Thursday she would not play in the Beijing Olympics next month to concentrate on preparing for the US Open.
India and China on Wednesday held 'constructive' and 'forward-looking' diplomatic talks to resolve the over four-year border standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh but there was clear no indication of any breakthrough.
Stringent visa procedures, astronomical hotel rates and a scarcity of event tickets have proved a dampener for Indian visitors to the Beijing Olympics, which began today.
Pro-Tibet demonstrators tried to hijack the Beijing Olympic torch lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia on Monday. Just before the torch-lighting ceremony inside the archaeological site that played host to the Olympics in ancient Greece, a few demonstrators tried to break a tight police cordon.
At 22, Manu Bhaker has already become one of India's greatest athletes by winning two medals in the same Olympics.
'...it is a good thing for youngsters in both countries who are pursuing our sport to follow us and follow their sports icons and bring laurels to their countries.'
Less spitting, better queuing and cleaner streets show Beijing has become more "civilised", but the city still has to fine-tune its etiquette to attain Olympic standards, Xinhua news agency said on Friday, citing a new study.
World record holder Haile Gebrselassie will aim for an Olympic marathon title at the 2012 London Games after deciding the pollution in Beijing this year represents an unacceptable health threat. The twice Olympic 10,000 metres champion, who will be 39 in 2012, suffers from exercise-induced asthma and will not compete in Beijing unless he qualifies for the Ethiopian 10,000 team.
'We used to give these boxers a hammering in the ring and now they are teaching youngsters how to defend. Come on man!' 'People like Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar were among the top boxers in the world, but instead of choosing them to train young boxers they are picking people who are yes men.'
Russia's unprecedented rapprochement with North Korea has raised concerns about the re-emergence of a Russia-China-North Korea alliance which could increase the probability of conflict on the Korean Peninsula, explains Dr Rajaram Panda.
Hong Kong has regained its spot as the world's fourth-largest market following a broad market rout in Indian equities. Currently, the Chinese territory's market capitalisation stands at $4.9 trillion versus India's $4.75 trillion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. In January, the domestic equity markets' market capitalisation had surpassed that of Hong Kong following a spectacular rally in the small- and midcap stocks.
Thousands of athletes and staff roamed the Olympic village freely, mingling at cafes and swapping souvenir pins.
The United States team broke their own world record in the 4x400 mixed relay in the opening heats at the Paris Olympics on Friday
The 35-year-old is judo's most decorated athlete at the Olympics with six medals.
Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra on Thursday said that he will be one of the torch bearers of the Paris Olympics Games.
This is her first visit to Beijing after she took over the office last year.
England's Chef de mission Craig Hunter said the arrangements at the Delhi Games Village are much better as compared to the Beijing Olympics.
China said that "sound and stable ties" serve the common interests of China and India.
'And when I say sabotage I mean people who are not happy to see India rise as a sporting nation. This girl has been through so much, your heart breaks for her. What more could she have done? Which other test?'
'China is India's primary strategic challenge, which will not go away.
English speakers in Beijing have in the past been invited to visit "Racist Park" -- more accurately translated as the Park of Ethnic Minorities.
The parliamentary election result was also to prove that the Maldivians want "autonomy in choosing their future, without foreign coercion," President Muizzu said, without naming any country, according to the Sun.mv news portal.
World Health Organisation (WHO) has sought more information from Beijing on information about an outbreak of pneumonia in northern China that appears to be mostly affecting children, Al Jazeera reported.
By proposing the addition of six permanent members this year, it may appear that it was a major concession, but in actual fact, it will make no difference to the privilege of the permanent five as the new six will have no veto, ever! points out Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Jaspal Rana's contribution towards Manu Bhaker's remarkable transformation into a double Olympics medallist will not go unnoticed. The national shooting federation is mulling bringing the Dronacharya awardee coach back into its fold.
'We have to keep a watch because India-Sri Lanka has a history that whenever there has been a change in government, either the connectivity projects have been questioned or cancelled or revived.'
The United States and China on Wednesday failed to reach a consensus on how to resolve Beijing's territorial disputes with smaller nations in South China Sea, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with top leaders in Beijing but not 'President-in-waiting' Xi Jinping who cancelled a meeting at the last minute.
Bangladesh is in turmoil, which is not good news for India, which shares a porous 4000 km border with it. There is a danger of fundamentalism growing there, and India has to move in to reset its ties with the new dispensation before China and Pakistan make capital out of it, alerts Ramesh Menon.
In the past year, Beijing has hosted at least 70 delegations from India as part of its outreach to the Indian business community, youth leaders and Sangh Parivar affiliates
