• Xinjiang violence: 15 reported killed in attack

Xinjiang violence: 15 reported killed in attack

China is enforcing a security crackdown in Xinjiang and Uighur activists say that in doing so its is fuelling the violence

• Hong Kong student leaders arrested as police clear protest site BY FARAH MASTER AND JAMES POMFRET

Hong Kong student leaders arrested as police clear protest site
BY FARAH MASTER AND JAMES POMFRET

Policemen clear a protest site on the main Nathan Road, which was occupied by pro-democracy protesters for weeks, at Mongkok district in Hong Kong November 26, 2014.

• Is 2014 the Start of an Asian Spring?

Is 2014 the Start of an Asian Spring?

2014 has been an historic year for protests in Asia, where until now political freedom has lagged economic growth.By Nithin Coca

In Hong Kong, it’s a yellow umbrella.
In Taiwan, the similarly bright sunflower. 

• HONG KONG: 'Don't Call Me Chinese, Please'

The New Shame: 

'Don't Call Me Chinese, Please'
Record low number of Hong Kongers call themselves 'Chinese'
AFP

Is China a curse?

• Who are the Umbrella Movement protesters remaining on the streets of Hong Kong? BY ELLIE NG

Indefinite Resurrection
Who are the Umbrella Movement protesters 

remaining on the streets of Hong Kong?
BY ELLIE NG

"I'm ready to stay for as long as the protests last," said the 20-year-old pro-democracy protester Dicky Chu, expressing a commitment common among the hundreds of resolute protesters who are driving Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement well into its second month.

• Why We Should Abandon 'Socialism With Chinese Characteristics' By Bao Tong

  Why We Should Abandon 'Socialism 

With Chinese Characteristics' 

By Bao Tong

Chinese paramilitary police officers pick up protest leaflets near an entrance to Tiananmen Square, on the day the Chinese Communist Party opened a major plenum meeting in Beijing at which reforming the rule of law was discussed, Oct. 20, 2014.

• DDoS Attacks Against Hong Kong Movement Linked to Chinese Government - Eduard Kovacs

DDoS Attacks Against Hong Kong Movement 

Linked to Chinese Government

"The Chinese government is utilizing their deep hacking expertise garnered to shut down any online systems hosting information pertaining to and supporting the Pro-Democracy Movement in Hong Kong. All the while, they continue to shut down Social Media via the Great FireWall of China and thereby limit access to information on the Internet." -- FireEye
By Eduard Kovacs

• Hong Kong protesters: Images of determination By Associated Press

Hong Kong protesters: Images of determination 

By Associated Press

HONG KONG — On the evening of Sept. 28, Hong Kong police struggling to hold back thousands of democracy protesters unleashed dozens of rounds of tear gas in a failed attempt to disperse them. When the smoke cleared, Hong Kong had changed.
Many young people who previously were indifferent to politics say they experienced an awakening.

• Hong Kong Marks One-month Anniversary of Student Protests - VOA News

Hong Kong Marks One-month 

Anniversary of Student Protests
VOA News

Protesters in Hong Kong are marking the one-month anniversary of their student-led pro-democracy demonstrations. The anniversary on Tuesday comes amid an impasse between the protesters and authorities in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.

• Beijing’s Hong Kong Disinformation - L. GORDON CROVITZ

Beijing’s Hong Kong Disinformation

Declassified records show China always opposed democracy, even when Hong Kong was a colony.
By L. GORDON CROVITZ

Officials in Beijing claim they’re doing more for democracy in Hong Kong than Britain ever did in colonial days. 

• China Began Push Against Hong Kong Elections in ’50s - ANDREW JACOBS

China Began Push Against Hong Kong Elections in ’50s

Chinese communist leaders were so opposed to the prospect of a democratic Hong Kong that they threatened to invade should London attempt to change the status quo.
By ANDREW JACOBS

• Hong Kong protesters remind us why democracy is worth fighting for - Owen Jones

Hong Kong protesters remind us why 

democracy is worth fighting for

These protests are a reminder of a simple truth. Democracy is a universal right, not a privilege reserved for westerners - By Owen Jones

Pro-democracy protesters look towards the advancing police prior to a confrontation outside the central government offices in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong.

• Hong Kong Protesters Focus on Holding Volatile Mong Kok

Hong Kong Protesters Focus on Holding 

Volatile Mong Kok 

by Brian Padden

October 24, 2014 9:38 AM

HONG KONG— Two Hong Kong protest sites occupied by pro-democracy activists, the city's financial district and a high-end retail area, have been relatively calm, but the third site, the working class neighborhood Mong Kok, continues to be contentious. Activists say holding Mong Kok is key to the success of their movement, despite confrontations with angry residents, anti-protest groups and police.

• US Democracy Group Rebuts Hong Kong Meddling Allegations - Michael Lipin

US Democracy Group Rebuts Hong Kong Meddling Allegations
Michael Lipin

WASHINGTON—
A U.S. nongovernmental organization accused of instigating Hong Kong's pro-democracy "Occupy" street protests says it is engaged in normal cooperation with civic groups in the Chinese territory and has nothing to hide.

• Hong Kong Stars Face Mainland Backlash Over Support for Protests By AMY QIN and ALAN WONG

Hong Kong Stars Face Mainland Backlash Over Support for Protests
By AMY QIN and ALAN WONG

Pro-democracy protesters at their barricade on Friday in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong.

• The Slaughter: Canadian Book Tour Raises Awareness About China’s Illegal Organ Trade

The Slaughter: Canadian Book Tour Raises Awareness About China’s Illegal Organ Trade

Evil empire: The Slaughter gives a glimpse into the Chinese state’s secret program to get rid of arrested dissidents while profiting from the sale of their organs

• Hong Kong has too many poor people to allow direct elections, leader says

Hong Kong has too many poor people to allow direct elections, leader says

HONG KONG—Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement protesters have been demanding that the city’s top official, CY Leung, step down for weeks now. They may soon be joined by many more of the city’s 7 million residents, after a controversial interview last night in which Leung suggested that election reforms sought by the protestors would invite undue influence from the city’s poor.

• Hong Kong's Dampened Umbrella Revolution Shows Beijing's Creative Limits

Hong Kong's Dampened Umbrella Revolution Shows Beijing's Creative Limits

The wishful thinking that China can conquer Silicon Valley, Madison Avenue, Japan and European tech hubs without freedom of speech and press amounts to Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward in 1958, a dream of industrial progress that fell flat.
By Paul Glader  

• Is Hong Kong China's Future? By William Pesek

Is Hong Kong China's Future?
By William Pesek

Hopes that Hong Kong would one day transform China in its own image now seem foolish and futile. Beijing appears intent on making the former British colony look more like the mainland -- with a closed political system dominated by the Communist Party. 

• Hong Kong Leader Warns Poor Would Sway Vote - Ken Brown

Hong Kong Leader Warns Poor Would Sway Vote 

Leung Chun-ying Plays Down Expectations Ahead of Government Meeting With Student Protesters
Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying maintains that demands for direct input from the public on the nomination of candidates for the city’s top post would be impossible and could lead the poor and working class to dominate elections. Associated Press 

• An Urban Village Pops Up To Comfort Hong Kong Protesters - by FRANK LANGFITT

An Urban Village Pops Up To Comfort Hong Kong Protesters

by FRANK LANGFITT

Hong Kong's main pro-democracy protest camp turned 3 weeks old on Saturday. What began as a roadblock has grown into an urban village, with several hundred tents that attract more than a thousand people at night. The camp is a combination street fair and outdoor art gallery, with political sculptures and posters as well as speeches, movie screenings — even a free library.

• Hong Kong protests: Leader says 'external forces' involved

Hong Kong protests: 

Leader says 'external forces' involved

Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests have lasted for more than three weeks
Hong Kong leader CY Leung has accused "external forces" of involvement in the territory's pro-democracy protests.

• China's Colonial War - 22 Killed in Farmers' Market Attack in East Turkestan by Shohret Hoshur

China's Colonial War - 

22 Killed in Farmers' Market 

Attack in East Turkestan 

by Shohret Hoshur

A map showing Kashgar prefecture's Maralbeshi county in East Turkestan. Four ethnic minority Uyghur men armed with knives and explosives attacked a farmers' market in northwestern China's unrest-plagued East Turkestan this week, leaving 22 people dead, including police officers and the attackers themselves, according to police Saturday.

• The new anti-censorship tool in China: Evernote - Lily Kuo and Ning Hui

The new anti-censorship tool in China: Evernote
By Lily Kuo and Ning Hui
Protesters are finding new ways to show their viewpoint.

HONG KONG—Mainland Chinese readers may have found one way around China’s tight grip over news and information about the pro-democracy protests that have swept Hong Kong for the last three weeks— a California-based app best known for its personal to-do lists, clipping web-pages, and sharing notes between coworkers.

• Beijing Is Directing Hong Kong Strategy, Government Insiders Say By KEITH BRADSHER and CHRIS BUCKLEY

Beijing Is Directing Hong Kong Strategy, Government Insiders Say 

By KEITH BRADSHER and CHRIS BUCKLEY

Protesters faced police in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong on Friday. 

HONG KONG — On many mornings throughout the nearly three weeks of pro-democracy protests that have convulsed Hong Kong, white Toyota Coaster vans with special black license plates have set out from city government buildings here, bound for a tropical resort across the border in mainland China.

• Hong Kong Impasse Continues; Crowds Grow Again

Hong Kong Impasse Continues; Crowds Grow Again

Ivan Broadhead -October 17, 2014

Hours after Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying announced his government is seeking negotiations with democracy protesters, tensions flared again at dawn in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

• Hong Kong protests: Police use pepper spray in new clashes

Hong Kong protests: Police use 

pepper spray in new clashes

Footage of violent clashes between police and protesters, and a photographer being arrested

• Hong Kong protests can’t be swept away - The Washington Post

Hong Kong protests can’t be swept away
The Washington Post

Pro-democracy protesters stand behind umbrellas as police advance on their positions near the central government offices in Hong Kong on October 15, 2014. Hong Kong has been plunged into the worst political crisis since its 1997 handover as pro-democracy activists take over the streets following China's refusal to grant citizens full universal suffrage.

• The power of a protest song By Foong Woei Wan

The power of a protest song 

By Foong Woei Wan

Hong Kong protesters singing Under A Vast Sky in the rain.

Recently, I have been listening to Beyond on repeat. When I'm standing on a crowded train, I stop short of singing along but still mouth the lyrics. And when we find the time, my friends and I mean to occupy a karaoke room for a night and bellow out Beyond songs. 

• Video of Apparent Beating of Protester in Hong Kong Stirs Anger By KEITH BRADSHER

Video of Apparent Beating of Protester 

in Hong Kong Stirs Anger
By KEITH BRADSHER

Handcuffed protester Ken Tsang is led away and repeatedly kicked by six officers

A local television news crew showed video of police officers in Hong Kong beating a handcuffed protester, who has been identified as Ken Tsang.

• Hong Kong protesters charged by masked men

Hong Kong protesters charged by masked men

Hundreds of unidentified people, some wearing masks, tried to break down protest barriers [Reuters]

Angry crowds try to dismantle protest site as police struggle to keep the sides apart.

Hong Kong demonstrators clashed with dozens of masked men at the main protest site in the city centre as police struggled to contain the chaos, according to reports. 

• Hong Kong authorities accused of hiring thugs after clashes at democracy protest site

Hong Kong authorities accused of hiring thugs after clashes at democracy protest site
October 13, 2014 12:13

Police officers arrest a pro-democracy demonstrator in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong on Oct. 13, 2014. (PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images)

It was the second time since the mass protests began that authorities had been accused of cooperating with criminal gangs.

• Hong Kong leader says democracy protests have 'almost zero chance' - AFP News

Hong Kong leader says democracy protests 

have 'almost zero chance'

AFP News

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying speaks at a press conference on political …

Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters have an "almost zero chance" of changing Beijing's stance and securing free elections despite more than two weeks of rallies, the city's embattled leader Leung Chun-ying said Sunday.

• Hong Kong Protesters Say They Aren’t Going Anywhere by Peter Z. Scheer

Hong Kong Protesters Say They Aren’t Going Anywhere 

by Peter Z. Scheer

Thousands returned to occupy Hong Kong’s Central district Friday after the government backed out of talks and threatened to break up the demonstrations.

• China, U.S. Standoff Deepens Over Hong Kong Protests - By JAMES T. AREDDY

China, U.S. Standoff Deepens Over Hong Kong Protests
Pro-Democracy Demonstrations Stretch Into a Third Week With No Compromise in Sight
By JAMES T. AREDDY - Sunday, October 12, 2014
A protester sleeps in a hammock on a highway blocked by pro-democracy protesters outside the government headquarters building in Hong Kong early Sunday.

• Protests reveal unease over Hong Kong's identity - By TIM SULLIVAN and SYLVIA HUI

Protests reveal unease over Hong Kong's identity
"What this is really about is Hong Kong people refusing to acknowledge they are Chinese." -- A Hong Konger
By TIM SULLIVAN and SYLVIA HUI

HONG KONG — By road, the little apartments are nearly an hour from central Hong Kong and the protests that have swept through it. 

• Thousands gather in fresh Hong Kong protest

Thousands gather in fresh Hong Kong protest
Protesters pour into major thoroughfare a day after government called off talks with student leaders Thousands of protesters have poured into a main road in Hong Kong, reviving a civil disobedience movement a day after the government called off talks with student leaders. Crowds filling up the Admiralty area late on Friday near the government headquarters chanted "Our Hong Kong, Ours to Save". Many of those gathered near a stage in the main protest zone were young people, including high school students in uniforms, but there were also office workers who came straight from work.

• Letter to Hong Kong Students: Tonight I Picked a Side - Yu Xiaobo

Letter to Hong Kong Students: Tonight I Picked a Side
Yu Xiaobo

When the ALR asked a mainland Chinese student studying in Hong Kong to write a piece about the Umbrella Revolution, we did so without expectations. What we received surprised us. It stood out from the noisy stampede of opinions and perspectives written about the events of the past week. As always, heart and courage have a way of doing just that. The piece, written under a pseudonym, follows.

• Hong Kong protests: Police officers upset at being 'un-friended' on Facebook

Hong Kong protests: Police officers upset at being 'un-friended' on Facebook

Officers are reportedly 'crying every day' because of emotional pressure

Police officers in Hong Kong are upset at being "un-friended" on Facebook and shunned by friends and family as pro-democracy protests continue.

• To Prevent Chaos - Give Hong Kong Democracy - Yang Hengjun

To Prevent Chaos, Give Hong Kong Democracy

Yes, democracy can bring “chaos.” But not establishing democracy when the conditions are right can be much, much worse. By Yang Hengjun
Democracy can cause chaos — but so can the absence of democracy. 

• The end of the Hong Kong 'dream' - Amy Chew

The end of the Hong Kong 'dream'

Students say connections to the mainland have supplanted meritocracy where good jobs and university spots are concerned. Amy Chew

Hong Kong, China - It used to be a place where anyone who worked hard, excelled in school and possessed an entrepreneurial spirit could rise above their parents' hardship to a better life. That was the Hong Kong dream.

• Talks Collapse Between Hong Kong Protesters & Government

Talks Collapse Between Hong Kong Protesters, Government

Protesters take a rest during a rally in the occupied areas at Central district in Hong Kong, Thursday, Oct. 9 / AP

City leader faces corruption scandal as likelihood of further rallies grows

BY: Daniel Wiser - October 9, 2014 5:15 pm

Hong Kong government officials called off talks with pro-democracy protesters on Thursday as the city’s embattled chief executive faced potential prosecution regarding a new corruption scandal.

• Chinese Communist Party As The Mafia Boss - By Chang Ping

Chinese Communist Party As The Mafia Boss

No one is as adept at making use of the mafia and its tactics as the Communist Party itself. From the moment it took power, the Party aimed to erase all culture and refinement from China’s political life and laws. By Chang Ping

• China Has Committed A Tiananmen Square-Scale Massacre This Year — And Totally Covered It Up By ARMIN ROSEN

China Has Committed A Tiananmen Square-Scale Massacre This Year — And Totally Covered It Up 

By ARMIN ROSEN

A local woman on a crutch shouts at Chinese paramilitary police wearing riot gear as a crowd of angry locals confront security forces on a street in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region on July 7, 2009.

• Hong Kong protests bode ill for Beijing By Francesco Sisci

Hong Kong protests bode ill for Beijing
By Francesco Sisci

BEIJING -- In the past few days, the situation in Hong Kong has created a new and unpredictable challenge to the overall stability of China.
The two relatively fast and easy ways out of the siege Hong Kong students have laid on the local government both bode ill for Beijing. 

• OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY EIGHT: Full coverage of the day's events

OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY EIGHT: Full coverage of the day's events

7.01pm: As the Mong Kok protesters were divided on moving out, there was similar confusion in Admiralty as dozens of protesters re-occupied the junction of Lung Wo Road and Tim Wa Avenue (the main entrance to CY Leung's office) just moments after the crowd voted to clear that area.

• Hong Kong – betrayed by China. And abandoned by the British - Anson Chan

Hong Kong – betrayed by China. And abandoned by the British
The protests in Hong Kong are not just about democracy, but about honouring a promise
By Anson Chan

Pro-democracy demonstrators gather for a night rally in Hong Kong last week.

• Protesters Pulling Back From Hong Kong Offices After Handshake Deal By KEITH BRADSHER and CHRIS BUCKLEY

Protesters Pulling Back From Hong Kong Offices After Handshake Deal 

By KEITH BRADSHER and CHRIS BUCKLEY

HONG KONG — Pro-democracy demonstrators began pulling back from a sit-in outside the offices of Hong Kong’s leader on Sunday night after the government set a Monday morning deadline for the police to ensure access to the complex.

• Bao Tong, Recalling Tiananmen, Calls on Hong Kong Protesters to ‘Take a Break’ By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

Bao Tong, Recalling Tiananmen, Calls on Hong Kong Protesters to ‘Take a Break’
By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

Bao Tong, the dissident adviser to the former Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang, at home in Beijing last year.

• Is China Facing Another Tiananmen Square Moment?

Is China Facing Another Tiananmen Square Moment?

What began with several small student groups protesting the government in Hong Kong, has escalated into a tidal wave of unrest in one of China’s biggest financial hubs. How the central government responds to this resistance, may end up shaping the future of China for decades to come.

• Hong Kong: Playing with fire By Demetri Sevastopulo and Tom Mitchell

Hong Kong: Playing with fire

Beijing has limited control over the territory but how long will it be before the Communists act?
By Demetri Sevastopulo and Tom Mitchell

Joshua Wong, leader of the student movement, delivers a speech outside the offices of Hong Kong's chief executive Leung Chun-ying in Hong Kong on Friday