Screw the Nobel: China Creates Its Own Peace Prize

Delegates from the 19 countries that China has persuaded to skip Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony have got somewhere else to go this week. China, just in case anybody hadn't realized it was infuriated by the dissident's prize, has created a rival peace prize of its own and plans to hold the ceremony tomorrow, a day before Liu's, the AP reports.

The first winner of the "Confucius Peace Prize"—chosen from a list of nominees that included Bill Gates and Nelson Mandela—is former Taiwanese vice president Lien Chan. Officials say he is being honored for having "built a bridge of peace between the mainland and Taiwan." A staffer in his Taipei office declined to comment, saying she knew nothing about the award.
(More Liu Xiaobo stories.)