Chinese police killed 12 people during July 5 rioting in the western city of Urumqi, a senior official said – a rare acknowledgement by the government that security forces opened fire in the worst ethnic clashes to hit the region in decades.

CHINA has raised the injured toll from ethnic clashes a week ago to 1,680 – one more bit in the trickle of information the government has released on the unrest in the far west, though much remains unknown.

A Chinese official said a flight crew prevented a planned terrorist act aboard a Chinese jetliner last week.