'Tis the season for exceptionally harsh prison sentences. China seems to have made a habit of convicting its political activists at Christmas time, and this year is no exception. In the last week, two Chinese democracy advocates, Chen Wei and Chen Xi, have been sentenced to prison terms of 9 and 10 years, respectively. And today, a couple goes on trial for campaigning against forced evictions. more ›

The man who regained control of the bus that mowed into oncoming traffic on the Yangpu bridge, thus saving dozens of passengers, was a 35-year-old promary school teacher without a drivers license, Shanghai Daily has found. Shanghai native Chen Wei stopped the bus by rushing to the front and pressing the floor break. He had been in the last row when he felt the bus veer to the left and crash into other cars on the bridge. When it slammed into a taxi head-on, throwing the driver through the front windshield, Chen moved to the front and hit the brake, saving the lives of everyone on board as well as those in the bus' path. Like all bashful heroes should, he insists he's just a normal guy. more ›