Mehray Mezensof’s husband was arrested by Chinese authorities in Xinjiang just days before the newlywed couple planned to fly to Melbourne to begin their lives together. Many others share similar stories among China’s minority Uyghur population.
China is trying its best to increase the number of gold medals that athletes can win on its behalf at the Olympic Games, not just in Beijing, but in future competitions. Some strategies include recruiting foreign athletes or teaching winter sports to athletes used to playing summer games.
Since November, snow cannons have used about 49 million gallons of water to manufacture snow for the Winter Games in Beijing. But environmentalists worry that this could cause water scarcity in an already dry region.