Oly: Olympic briefs

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2008
Oly: Olympic briefs

BEIJING, Aug 24 AAP - Olympic news in brief.





PROTEST

BEIJING - The US and Britain have urged the Chinese government to immediately free
foreign activists jailed for protesting during the Olympics.

US Ambassador Clark T. Randt Jr has also criticised Beijing for failing to use the
Games to show "greater tolerance and openness".

And Britain's Foreign Office has urged Beijing "to respect its commitment to freedom
of expression".

At least 10 foreigners - eight Americans, a German and a Briton - have been sentenced
to 10 days in detention over pro-Tibet protests in Beijing.





ATH BOLT

BEIJING - Triple gold medal winner Usain Bolt temporarily put his celebrations on hold
to visit victims of the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province.

The Jamaican, who set an unprecedented three world records in claiming gold
in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, urged survivors to use the Olympics as inspiration
to look forward, not back.

Bolt posed for pictures with a 13-year-old girl who lost both legs in the May 12 quake
that left nearly 70,000 dead, and handed over a $US50,000 cheque to the Red Cross.





TELEVISION

BEIJING - The 2008 Olympics drew an estimated television audience of 4.4 billion in
the first 10 days, setting a new viewing record for an Olympic Games.

Market research company Nielsen says the estimated audience from August 8-17 surpassed
the 3.9 billion viewers for the whole of the 2004 Athens Games and the 3.6 billion who
watched the Sydney Olympics four years earlier.

CARS

BEIJING - Olympic host city Beijing hasn't ruled out making controversial car use limits
permanent, citing the benefits for the environment.

The China Daily quotes an official as saying there are no concrete plans to extend
the rule, which has taken at least a million cars off the streets of the capital city,
but it is worthy of consideration.

"The rule is closely related to everyone's daily life. We want to hear more public
opinion on the whether, or how, to keep the rule," said Wang Li, deputy director of Beijing's
traffic administration bureau.

AAP jmt

KEYWORD: OY08 BRIEFS

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