Catherine Liu is 28 and a little nervous, she says, because two weeks ago she split up with her boyfriend. ”In China, it is only [okay not to be married] until 30.” Then, a little forlornly, ”My mother is worried about me.” Liu is a Shanghai success story — well educated, sophisticated, with a high-profile job. A generation of young Chinese women has embraced a sexual liberalism that is alien to most of the country.
Readership of the online journals known as blogs (short for web logs) grew significantly in 2004, driven by increased awareness of them during the United States presidential campaign and other major news events, according to a study released on Sunday. Twenty-seven percent of online adults in the US said in November they read blogs.
The United States’s professional gridiron league teams have joined Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and other sports figures around the world in assisting the disaster relief mission for the tsunami-earthquake catastrophe with a death toll that is expected to reach 150 000.
Confronted with the world’s greatest natural disaster for half a century, religious leaders strove to make theological sense of the tsunami and console congregations that might ask why God allowed the tectonic plates under the Indian Ocean to shift so catastrophically on Boxing Day. Leaders from the major faiths attempt to explain how the tragedy could be reconciled with their religious beliefs.
Skipper Ricky Ponting produced his first Test century for more than a year to propel Australia into a powerful position against Pakistan in the third and final cricket Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday. The 30-year-old right-hander erased the memory of an unproductive past 12 months to compile his 21st century.
David Beckham practised on his own on Sunday after flight delays hindered his return and caused him to arrive late for Real Madrid’s first full training session under new coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, the club’s website said. The training session on Sunday was the first conducted by Luxemburgo, hired on Thursday to replace Mariano Garcia Remon.
Manchester United and Arsenal have warned Chelsea that the race for the Premiership title is still alive, despite the cash-drenched Stamford Bridge side having taken an iron grip at the top. Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea go into the final game of the gruelling Christmas and New Year period on Tuesday against Middlesbrough.
West Indies captain Brian Lara was on Monday given the official all-clear to play for the Rest of the World against an Asian XI in a tsunami-relief cricket match in Melbourne on January 10. Lara, along with teammates Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, was given the go-ahead by team management.
Scotland’s Colin McRae won Sunday’s third stage of the Dakar Rally to take the overall lead in the two-continent race as the event completed its route through Spain and headed to Africa. South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers was third, two seconds back, with Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel fourth, another five seconds back.
Liverpool’s Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso added to the Premiership side’s injury woes when it was confirmed on Sunday that he will be out for up to six weeks after breaking his ankle during Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Chelsea. Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez admitted that the 23-year-old’s injury is a major loss.