China will begin trials over the next weeks for suspects accused in last month's deadly riots in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region, state media announced. China Daily said officials are organizing special tribunals for "a small number" of the 1,400 detained, most of them ethnic Uighurs. Earlier this week, the authorities arrested an additional 253 suspects, many through tips provided by Urumqi residents. Those who provide information leading to an arrest can collect up to $7,350 in reward money. Li Zhi, the head of the Communist Party in Urumqi warned: "To those who have committed crimes with cruel means, we will execute them."

Kyrgyzstan's incumbent Kurmanbek Bakiyev claims an 85% of the vote in the weekend's presidential election. But challenger Almazbek Atambayev is questioning the results, and flew to Moscow to discuss the issue with Russian leaders. The Union of Civic Organizations, an independent Kyrgyz election monitoring group, said it had documented several violations, including "massive ballot stuffing." Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has yet to congratulate Bakiyev on his victory. Neither Russia nor the US has explicitly commented on the conduct of the election.

Two Uighur men were shot dead and a third wounded after an apparent attack on police in Urumqi, Xinjiang, July 13. The next day, authorities raised the death toll in the recent Urumqi violence to 192 people and 810 injured. The rise in the toll had been expected as authorities earlier said many of the critically injured were near death. The previously announced death toll was 184, of whom more than 130 were Han Chinese. Uighurs say up to hundreds of their dead are not being counted. (UPI, July 15; BBC World Service, July 14; The Telegraph, July 13)

Chinese authorities have re-imposed a curfew in the city of Urumqi, Xinjiang, following new disturbances July 10. When authorities tried to close the White Mosque ahead of Friday prayers in the Uighur district which had been the center of last weekend's violence, this only sparked an angry protest at the mosque's gates. As the crowd rapidly swelled, the riot police who had been dispatched to secure the mosque finally relented and let prayers proceed—but not before arresting four foreign journalists. The curfew had been suspended for the past two days after officials said they had the city under control. State media now say the death toll in the weekend's clashes has risen to 184. Of these deaths, authorities say 137 were Han, 46 were Uighur, and one was of the Hui ethnic group. (Radio New Zealand, July 11; AP, July 10)

Despite harsh restrictions on media and Internet in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang, wire services report continuing clashes between Han and Uighur residents of Urumqi in the wake of violence July 5 that left some 150 dead. Riot police used tear gas to disperse mobs armed with pipes and sticks. Han youth chanting "defend the country" attempted to invade Uighur neighborhoods, seeking retribution for the previous day's violence. In Hong Kong, Human Rights Watch Asia researcher Phelim Kine said the Chinese government needs to bring in an "international investigator from the United Nations to try to determine what exactly happened on Sunday and what were the reasons for it." (NY Daily News, BBC News, VOA, July 7)

Over 150 are dead and some 1,000 injured following what China's state media call ethnic clashes between Uighurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang province. The riots began late July 5 in Urumqi, the provincial capital, following a protest march by Uighurs in response the death of two Uighur workers in a mob attack at a toy factory in Guangdong province June 26. After the march was attacked by security forces, protesters torched vehicles and attacked shops. Authorities say Uighur mobs attacked Han residents. Police have conducted raids and arrested several hundred in Urumqi.

Kyrgyzstan has struck a deal with the US to keep open the Pentagon's Manas for a sum of $180 million. Washington had been haggling to keep the base open since February, when the Kyrgyz government announced its closure after securing pledges of $2 billion in aid and credit from Russia. Now, an unnamed diplomatic source has told Reuters that Moscow brokered the new Manas deal with Washington. A Kremlin official accompanying Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Egypt told the news agency: "Kyrgyzstan agreed its decision with Russia. We support all steps aimed at stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan."

The trial opened this week for respected Tibetan lama who faces 15 years in prison on a weapons possession charge. Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche, who headed the Pangri nunnery in Ganzi Prefecture of Sichuan Province, was arrested on May 18 after over 80 nuns from his and another nunnery staged a peaceful protest march to the town. Police claim to have found a pistol and more than 100 bullets and cartridges under a bed in Rinpoche's room—a charge the lama denies.