<i>China premier asks Cambridge to pardon shoe-thrower</i>

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is asking Britain's Cambridge University to pardon a student who threw a shoe at him during his speech there earlier this month.
The Feb. 2 incident prompted an outraged response from the Chinese government and stirred indignation among many ordinary Chinese, who saw it as an affront to national pride.
"It is hoped that the university will give the student an opportunity to continue his studies at the university," Wen was quoted as saying by China's ambassador in London, Fu Ying, in a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's Web site.