Chinese PM Dodges Shoe

World, meet your new favorite form of political protest: A friendly three-day visit to Britain has ended on an awkward note for Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who narrowly avoided being hit by a flying shoe during a lecture at Cambridge University. Wen was wrapping up a speech when a German-accented young man in the audience blew a whistle and shouted, “How can the university prostitute itself with this dictator?” While Bush in December was forced to dodge a pair of dress shoes thrown by an Iraqi journalist, Wen found himself the target of a gray sneaker. And no jokes from Wen on this occasion: He simply paused and said in Chinese: “This despicable behavior cannot stand in the way of friendship between China and the UK.”