Beijing ups security measures following stabbing

Olympics officials promised to boost security measures at tourist sites around Beijing after an American man was stabbed to death on Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported. Todd Bachman, father-in-law to the coach of the US men’s volleyball team, was visiting the historic Drum Tower in the north of the city when the attack took place. His wife and their guide suffered serious injuries. The assailant, 47-year-old Tang Yongming, leaped to his death from the Drum Tower shortly after the attack. The apparently random attack marred what was an otherwise smooth opening to the games. The opening ceremony on Friday evening, which culminated in China’s 1984 Olympic gold medalist Li Ning lighting the Olympic flame, won much praise. The crowd of 91,000 was treated to an artistic program devised by Chinese film director Zhang Yimou that celebrated China’s cultural achievements and global relations.