Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 1362

China to declare war on ‘bizarre architecture’

The days in which architects in China were allowed to create buildings resembling penguins, pianos or even male genitalia appear numbered after a top Communist Party official announced plans for an offensive against “bizarre architecture”. Read more

MPs’ trip to China cancelled after row over Hong Kong protests debate

A visit by a cross-party group of parliamentarians to China, led by Peter Mandelson, has been cancelled at the last minute after Beijing refused to grant a visa to a Conservative MP in retaliation for a Westminster debate on the recent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Read more

Baby Girl Saved From Forced Abortion, Mom Hid From Chinese Officials for Months

Meirong’s parents are poor farmers in rural China. They already had a son, so they were not allowed to have a second child. Read more

China building airstrip on island in disputed waters

China is building an island in the South China Sea that could accommodate the country's first airstrip in bitterly contested waters, according to satellite images analyzed by IHS Jane's Defence Weekly.

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Despite Persecution, Guardian of Lake Tai Spotlights China’s Polluters

By autumn, the stench of Lake Tai and the freakish green glow of its waters usually fade with the ebbing of the summer heat, but this year is different. Standing on a concrete embankment overlooking a fetid, floating array of plastic bottles, foam takeout containers, flip-flops and the occasional dead fish, Wu Lihong, the lake’s unofficial guardian, shook his head in disgust. Read more

Prosecution of Uighur Students Underscores Perils of Chinese Clampdown

Since last January, at least five men and women who attended Minzu University in Beijing have been incommunicado after they were swept up by Chinese security forces alongside their mentor, Ilham Tohti, a prominent Uighur professor who in September was convicted of separatism and sentenced to life in prison. Read more

Beijing Considers How to Harness the Wind to Blow Away Pollution

Though giant fans are not on the menu, at least not yet, city planners are looking at ways to create corridors that encourage wind flow through the capital. Read more

The Reluctant Generals of Myanmar

The horrors that the military rulers in Burma visited upon its peoples included the use of forced labor for construction projects, forcible conscription of child soldiers, defunding education and health to a mere fraction of viability, the looting of the country's national resources, writes Jack Healey, founder of Human Rights Action Center. Read more

Chinese journalist facing life sentence for leaking to magazine

A 70-year-old Chinese journalist, Gao Yu, will go on trial tomorrow (21 November) on a charge of a leaking an internal communist party document that called for tighter censorship of liberal ideas. Read more

The Largest Cyber Attack In History Has Been Hitting Hong Kong Sites

The intense skirmishes in Hong Kong haven't just taken place on the streets, but online too. Read more