A Winner in Spite of Beijing's Threats
On Friday, Oct. 8, 2010, the Norwegian Nobel Institute awarded the 2010 Peace Prize to the imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, the first Chinese citizen to receive the award. The news was received coldly by Beijing. The Nobel Institute's director Geir Lundestad told a Norwegian journalist last week that he had been warned over the summer by China's Deputy Foreign Minister that awarding Liu "would pull the wrong strings in relations between Norway and China." The two countries are reportedly in the middle of trade and energy talks. Lunestad was quoted as saying, "China has come with warnings before but they have no influence on the committee's work." A few days later, British bookies had Liu up as the prohibitive favorite for winning the Peace Prize, at 4-to-5 odds.

• Despite China Threats, Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Dissident Liu Xiaobo