The Overview: 08.05.08

Climbers brought the Olympic flame to the top of Mt. Everest, a location that China had no trouble keeping under control. Indeed, Kerry Brown at OpenDemocracy observes that, with the coming weeks entirely stage managed, China has acheived a PR coup by getting the bad news over with before the event, and as such lowering expectations. On a loosely related note, Foreign Policy's blog details the firing of a Chinese editor who dared speak out against censorship.

Executions will resume in the USA after the Supreme Court upheld the constitionality of lethal injections, a practice that would seem to be utterly unrelated to the constitution, and which has prompted a good NY Times editorial. In addition, the Guardian has audio of human rights lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith (who also predicts the election of John McCain would lead to George W. Bush closing Guantanamo).

Demitry Medvedev was inaugurated as Russia's president, and quickly named Vladimir Putin, the architect of his (Medvedev's) victory and still Russia's de facto ruler, as his choice for prime minister. Sean's Russia Blog offers good insight.

Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez has won a Spanish journalism award for challenging Cuba's press limitations with her Generation Y blog.

Ireland's parliament has chosen Finance Minister Brian Cowen to replace Bertie Ahern, who announced his resignation in April.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will not support former British PM Tony Blair for the newly created EU President gig.

Court challenges add further complications to Zimbabwe's crisis. Violence has not abated.

Further reading: Thomas L. Friedman on the democratic recession. An academic blogs about Germany's assistance with Rwanda's post-genocide efforts (with connection to DR Congo) and Rwanda's assistance with Germany's work in Darfur.