Urumqui, China

Here is an interesting report by Tania Branigan from the guardian.co.uk on the protests in China:

Woman's lone protest calms tempers as Uighurs confront Chinese police

Paramilitaries in temporary retreat from elderly demonstrator amid continuing tension in Urumqi-

No one noticed her at first. She was just a lined and weary face in the angry crowd. Then slowly she emerged from the mass and moved steadily down the street.

She was a lone woman, propped on a crutch. But she forced armoured personnel carriers and massed paramilitary ranks into a slow – if temporary – retreat during a remarkable confrontation between Chinese armed police and Uighurs in Urumqi today.

Uighur residents erupted into protests during an official media tour of the riot zone, in the face of hundreds of officers. Thousands of riot and armed paramilitary police have flooded the southern part of the capital since Sunday's violence claimed more than 150 lives and injured hundreds.

Women in the market place burst into wailing and chanting as foreign reporters arrived, complaining that police had taken away Uighur men. Authorities have arrested 1,434 people in connection with Sunday's unrest.

"The policemen took away my husband last night. I don't know why and I don't know where he is," said one woman called Abdurajit. "Mine was taken too. They still have him," broke in another woman.

As they streamed out on to the main street, the crowd swelled to around 200, with Uighur men and more women joining them, shouting and waving their fists.

And then the old woman emerged from the crowd and moved slowly down the street. An Uighur police officer came forward to escort her away. She could not be persuaded.

As older residents stepped forward and attempted to calm the crowd, she advanced steadily towards the line of armoured vehicles. She halted inches in front of one. The driver started its engine. For a long moment they faced each other. Then the carrier slowly began to roll backwards and the line of officers inched away, back down the road.

She walked forward. They stepped back. She continued – while the officer pleaded with her to turn away.

Suddenly he turned to me and grabbed my notebook, ripped out a page and scribbled a note for her; apparently his name and identity number – proof of his willingness to help her. He thrust it at her. Reluctantly, she agreed to leave....