In China, One of the country’s leading democracy activists is recovering from a brutal assault. Lu Banglie was on his way to Taishi, a key village in the growing regional unrest that the Guardian newspaper calls “the greatest threat to the rule of the Communist party since the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.” Lu’s car was stopped by a group of five police, five soldiers and as many as 50 people in plain clothes. The mob dragged Lu out of the car and kicked him unconscious. Lu was taken to his hometown of Zhijiang, where he is recovering from his injuries.