Snip: Beijing has halted plans to allow foreign newspapers to print in China because of concerns raised by recent “colour revolutions” against authoritarian governments in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, according to a senior media regulator. Shi Zongyuan, head of the General Administration of Press and Publication, said the role of the international media in such popular revolts had prompted the suspension of what had been an cautious, but significant easing of China’s curbs on foreign news publications.
“The ‘colour revolutions’ were a reminder not to let saboteurs into the house and that the door must be closed, so we have closed it temporarily,” Mr Shi said in an interview with the FT. Mr Shi’s remarks underline the increasing concern with which Chinese leaders have viewed the toppling of the government of Georgia in 2003, of Ukraine in 2004 and of Kyrgyzstan earlier this year.
Moscow has alleged that the hand of America’s CIA lay behind some of these revolts.Fears that China’s own political order could also be undermined have fuelled a broad effort by Beijing propaganda officials to tighten controls on cultural and media imports.
Lie detectors may be the next step in airline security
Snip: new walk-through airport lie detector made in Israel may prove to be the toughest challenge yet for potential hijackers or drug smugglers. Tested in Russia, the two-stage GK-1 voice analyzer requires that passengers don headphones at a console and answer "yes" or "no" into a microphone to questions about whether they are planning something illicit.
The software will almost always pick up uncontrollable tremors in the voice that give away liars or those with something to hide, say its designers at Israeli firm Nemesysco. "In our trial, 500 passengers went through the test, and then each was subjected to full traditional searches," said Chief Executive Officer Amir Liberman. "The one person found to be planning something illegal was the one who failed our test."
Off Topic: Dupont hid chemical risk studies
Snip: WASHINGTON - DuPont Co. hid studies showing the risks of a Teflon-related chemical used to line candy wrappers, pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags and hundreds of other food containers, according to internal company documents and a former employee.
The chemical Zonyl can rub off the liner and get into food. Once in a person's body, it can break down into perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts, known as PFOA, a related chemical used in the making of Teflon-coated cookware.