Central Asia

Xinjiang: officials sentence 55 in public rally

Chinese officials in Xinjiang held a public rally at a sports stadium for the mass sentencing of accused "terrorists," in which 55 were sentenced before a crowd of 7,000 people.

Mexico

Mexico: more narco-mineral exports seized

Mexican authorities seized a ship carrying 68,000 tons of illegal iron ore bound for China—hailed as the latest blow against the drug cartels' contraband mineral sideline.

East Asia

China detains rights lawyer ahead of 6-4

Human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang was detained on charges of "causing a disturbance" after attending a meeting to urge an investigation into the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Oceania

Rival trade pacts vie for Pacific hegemony

China is proposing a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) in  a race with the US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) for hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region.

Central Asia

US plays Mongolia card against China

Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel signed a "joint vision" statement with Mongolia calling for expanded military cooperation—clearly aimed at further encirclement of China.

East Asia

Wildcat strikes surge in China —again

Some 10,000 workers at plants that produce sportswear for Nike and Adidas have walked off the job in Dongguan after finding the Taiwanese company was shorting them.

East Asia

Taiwan gets a Maidan movement?

Hundreds of students remain barricaded in Taiwan's legislature in protest of the ruling party's push for a Cross-Strait Trade Agreement with the People's Republic of China.

East Asia

Uighurs feel pressure in Flight 370 case

The presence of an acclaimed Uighur artist among those on the missing Malyasian airliner has fueled speculation about terrorism—prompting protests from the Uighur diaspora.

Europe

Will Ukraine ‘go nuclear’?

NATO maneuvers in the Black Sea—just across from Crimea—come as Ukrainian lawmakers threaten to seek nuclear weapons if the West does not act against Russia.