End of the world? Not quite.
An intense sandstorm filled the Beijing air with fine, orange dust on the morning of March 20. The eerie glow of the sky at sunrise gave the cityscape a post-apocalyptic feel.
According to the Post, The storms are a product of worsening desertification in Inner Mongolia and other Gobi Desert regions hundreds of miles to the north and west of Beijing caused by overgrazing, deforestation, drought and urban sprawl.
The sun sets on the first phase of Google in China.
Early last Monday came the eagerly-awaited outcome of the Google-China dispute. Google shut its mainland China search engine and redirected users to its uncensored Hong Kong service. The government responded with boilerplate condemnation.
Google is no longer complicit in censorship; sensitive search results from Hong Kong are blocked without its technical assistance.
As in January, when Google first announced its displeasure with the Chinese government, a few local supporters left flowers and fruit on the sign outside Google headquarters in Beijing. The security presence was notably heavier this time, including a car full of plainclothes officers sipping on juice boxes. Several Google employees snapped photos of the crowd from inside the lobby.
The Beijing office remains open, since Google hopes to retain its local sales and research staff. Services such as Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Earth are still accessible without a VPN. But the search engine drops out more often than before, even on non-controversial topics, possibly indicating government retaliation against a foreign company it now views with the utmost suspicion.
Photojournalists angle for the best shot outside Google headquarters.
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