On Monday, a worried UN -secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, urged China to use "extreme care" in dealing with violent protests. By then, however, it was too late.
Scores of people had been killed in Urumqi, the capital of Beijing's Xinjiang region. Over the weekend, ethnic rioting erupted in the troubled inland city. Violence continued through Tuesday.
The disturbances apparently started with a peaceful protest on Sunday over the deaths in June of at least two Uighur workers in southern Guangdong province. The victims, Turkic Muslims, were killed by Han, members of China's dominant ethnic group. Urumqi's Uighurs were outraged by, among other things, the failure of Guangdong authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Uighurs accuse Urumqi's police of savage attacks on demonstrators on Sunday. At this point it is difficult to say how the violence started, but it is clear that, sometime after the initial demonstration, Uighurs began attacking Han in the streets with sticks, bricks and knives. Enraged demonstrators set fires and overturned vehicles. The latest reports indicate that thousands of Han are now roaming the streets of Urumqi looking for revenge.
The latest official death toll is 156, but undoubtedly more have died. How did this tragedy happen?
"There were no warning signs about the riots," said Tang Yan, a 21-year-old pharmacy employee who fled rampaging Uighurs. "No one expected it."
Though these disturbances may have come as a surprise to Ms Tang, they were all but inevitable.
There have for centuries been Han living in what the Chinese today call Xinjiang, or New Frontier, which comprises one-sixth of the territory of present-day China. In the 1940s, the Han, an amalgamation of ethnicities, constituted about five per cent of Xinjiang's population. Today, their number has swollen to about 40 per cent. In the capital of Urumqi, the Han now constitute more than 70 per cent, a result of Communist Party programmes and incentives over the course of the past 60 years aimed at bringing Han settlers into the Muslim lands it administers. The Han take almost all the good jobs and business opportunities. Beijing strips the Uighur homeland of its mineral resources and best crops. There are Uighur officials in Xinjiang, but real political power is held by the Han.
Yet that is not the worst of it. Beijing's programme assumes that relentless modernisation will result in the assimilation of the Uighurs. And just in case economic development does not eradicate their culture, China's coercive policies are supposed to finish the job. Uighurs are ordered to shave their beards and not fast at Ramadan.
Prayer in public outside mosques is forbidden. Imams' sermons on Friday are restricted. The teaching of Arabic is allowed only in special schools sanctioned by the government, and Uighur-language instruction has been eliminated. In Kashgar, now known as Kashi, the government in February began razing the historic buildings and mosques in the Old City, ostensibly to root out the remnants of Uighur culture.
Xinjiang? The Uighurs do not recognise the term, and they want their own nation.
They proclaimed the East Turkestan Republic in 1944, but the new state did not last long. Mao Zedong crushed the Uighurs in 1949, the year he proclaimed the People's Republic of China. Now, Beijing calls the Turkic Muslims "Chinese", but that is a fiction. The Han and the Uighurs come from different racial stock, speak different languages and practise different religions. In short, the Uighurs are a conquered people.
But they have not accepted Chinese domination. Han Beijing has the power to maintain its rule, but the local population is more sullen than compliant. Relations between the Han and Uighurs have historically been uneasy, but in recent years they have deteriorated, especially since early 1997 when fighting flared in Yining, the capital of the short-lived East Turkestan Republic. The unrest is thought to have led to at least several hundred deaths, and subsequent executions added to the toll.
Since then, there have been scattered violent acts, such as those that occurred last year at the time of the Olympics. There is, despite what Beijing claims, no Uighur movement to speak of, but a formless opposition has been difficult to contain, especially because Han rule has been so unpopular. "There is not a day something is not happening in Xinjiang," said Erkin Alptekin, an exiled Uighur leader.
Beijing has claimed the current protests were instigated from abroad, specifically by exiled Rebiya Kadeer and the World Uighur Congress. Given the apparent lack of co-ordination in the Uighur community, that is unlikely - and irrelevant in any case.
The fundamental problem for the Chinese central government is simply that most Uighurs do not want to be part of the People's Republic. Therefore, nobody should have been surprised by events this week.
Are the Uighurs employing violence? Yes. But that is the result of Beijing's policies, which triggered similar acts by the normally pacifist monks in Tibet in March 2008.
Beijing's minority policies are abhorrent and unsustainable. As one observer said:
"There's a fire burning in Xinjiang, and the Chinese can't extinguish it."
Gordon G Chang is author of The Coming Collapse of China.
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
Honeymoonish
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Available: Now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECystic%20fibrosis%20is%20a%20genetic%20disorder%20that%20affects%20the%20lungs%2C%20pancreas%20and%20other%20organs.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIt%20causes%20the%20production%20of%20thick%2C%20sticky%20mucus%20that%20can%20clog%20the%20airways%20and%20lead%20to%20severe%20respiratory%20and%20digestive%20problems.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPatients%20with%20the%20condition%20are%20prone%20to%20lung%20infections%20and%20often%20suffer%20from%20chronic%20coughing%2C%20wheezing%20and%20shortness%20of%20breath.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ELife%20expectancy%20for%20sufferers%20of%20cystic%20fibrosis%20is%20now%20around%2050%20years.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.