Friday 29th of March 2024

smoke & mirrors .....

smoke & mirrors .....

Chinese fans are watching the Olympics on TV, puffing on cigarettes in a smoke-filled bar. Suddenly, when the Chinese team scores, they crush out their cigarettes and jump up to cheer. 

'Love China,' says a message on the screen. 'Increase patriotism even more. Love a smoke-free Olympics.' 

That public-service advertisement was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, targeting TV viewers in China during the Olympics. It's part of a new initiative to cut tobacco use in the country that's home to 350 million smokers and more than a third of the world's cigarette production. 

While it was once common to see thick clouds of smoke in China's trains, restaurants and even offices, the government has joined the effort to crack down on smoking. 

'I think this is a magic time for people to get behind the anti-tobacco work,' Bill Gates said last month in launching the initiative. 'It will be a tough fight and a long-term fight, but a very important one.' 

Smoke-Free China A Marathon Challenge

gold medal in shooting...

Dalia Lama says 140 Tibetans shot by Chinese Army

By China Correspondent Stephen McDonell
[ABC]

Chinese security forces may have killed 140 Tibetans after opening fire on them this week.

According to the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, the Chinese Army fired on a crowd this week and there are reports that 140 people have been killed.

Speaking in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, the Dalai Lama said the Tibetans were shot in the Kham region of greater Eastern Tibet. He said the number of deaths needs to be confirmed.

He also said that, since March, 400 people have been killed in Tibetan areas according to reliable witness reports.