The Wall Street Journal reports: "Soon, China's top media regulator will cut the number of import licenses for physical media like DVDs—currently more than 1,000 titles each year—and will require that importers state whether the physical media being imported is also going to be posted online, the people familiar with the new rules say. It isn't clear if this content will be counted as part of the quota. The new policy—expected to be released next month and take effect in January—is the latest step by the nation's rulers to control what people are able to watch, and limit overseas influence. Western shows such as 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'Game of Thrones' have surged in popularity among Chinese viewers along with explosive growth in online video sites."

"China has appealed for international help in the battle it says it is waging against Islamist militants in its far western region of Xinjiang, as Beijing seeks Western support for its own "war on terror" in the wake of the Paris attacks. Hundreds of people have died in unrest in Xinjiang, home to the mostly Muslim Uighur people, and other parts of China over the past three years or so. Beijing has blamed much of the violence on Islamist militants, led by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a group it says has ties to al Qaeda and wants to establish an independent state called East Turkestan," Yahoo! News reports.