By Adrienne Mong, NBC News Correpondent URUMQI, China For quite some time, I had been looking forward to travelling back to Xinjiang province, one of my favorite destinations in China, for a reporting trip. But I also had a sense of trepidation.  The predominantly Muslim province has been an Internet-free zone since riots broke out last July between the ethnic Han Chinese and the minority Uighurs. Provincial authorities say 197 people died in clashes on the streets of Urumqi, the...(read more)

By Richard Engel, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent BEIRUT, Lebanon I remember it was an almost moonless night in Baghdad seven years ago when the war began.  I was in my room at the Palestine Hotel, a shabby state-run tower with balconies facing the Tigris River. There were just a few western journalists whod decided to stick it out. We were all nervous. President Bush had called on foreigners to leave, and specifically mentioned reporters.  Our safety, he said, wasnt guaranteed. No target would be off-limits. Bush had given Saddam Hussein and his sons 48 hours to leave Iraq. The deadline had just past. Saddam had made it clear: He wasnt going anywhere.  VIDEO: U.S. troops discuss current role in Iraq We also were worried about how the Iraqi government would react to the invasion. Would the regime arrest American reporters in Baghdad and use us as human shields? Would Saddam use chemical weapons on the Americans? Where would the clouds of chemical gas blow? Would there be riots in the streets?  A thousand scenarios all of them ending badly swirled though my head. I couldnt sleep. I dont think any of us could. We were bracing for the American assault and felt like passengers in a car about to slam into a wall. We expected the invasion to begin in the next couple of days when the last sliver of the moon disappeared. But the bombs came early. The first explosions were several miles from my hotel, but they were still loud. Seconds later, I heard the yattering of Iraqi anti-aircraft guns shooting blindly into the sky. These guns were close and shook the glass of my balcony door. I watched the "tracer rounds" cut through the night sky as air raid sirens whined across the city.  It was a surprise attack. The Americans had received intelligence that Saddam was at a meeting. The attack was designed to kill the Iraqi president and end the war before it began.  The attack, of course, missed Saddam.  Ramzi Haidar / AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on March 20, 2003 shows smoke billowing after a missile hit the planning ministry in Baghdad. I remember thinking to myself that the assault wasnt that bad. It wasnt terrifying. The city didnt shake. There was a lot of noise, explosions, gunfire and air raid sirens, but in the morning Baghdad was quiet again.  "If this it, I can handle it. No problem," I assured myself.  The real assault, the full furry of the American invasion the "shock and awe" would come two days later.Those early days now seem like ancient history. Iraq has undergone several revolutionary transformations since the war began and I dont think the final war is over yet. Here are the stages I have witnessed since my night of nervousness at the Palestine Hotel....(read more)

By NBC News Mary Murray and Kerry Sanders ACAPULCO, Mexico On the surface, the beach town here is idyllic. Crystal blue waters. Song birds with bright yellow wings darting from tree to tree. And then there are the American college students. Theyre tanning, tossing Frisbees and in some cases stumbling along the strip here with Corona beers in hand. VIDEO: Killings dampen spring break fun in Acapulco But what seems like paradise has been invaded by the harsh reality of drug cartel violence that has spilled from Mexicos underworld to the nations streets....(read more)

By NBC News Warangkana Chomchuen  BANGKOK, Thailand When I described to a friend the scene of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra kneeling down to kiss the ground upon his return to Thailand in 2008, after having been ousted by a military coup, she commented that Thai politics was "such a drama." When Red Shirt protesters poured jugs of their own blood in front of government buildings over the last two days, to demand new elections, I thought of her and wondered what she would make of it.  Christophe Archambault / AFP - Getty Images Thai riot policemen stand in a pool of blood after red-shirted protesters spilled their own blood at Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's residence as part of an anti-government protest in Bangkok on Wednesday. The blood-spilling began after more than 100,000 demonstrators in red attire gathered in Bangkok on Sunday to demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve parliament and call new elections by Monday. His refusal prompted the protestors to announce that they would collect their own blood and splash it at government headquarters, which made a lot of people say, "Eew!" Thai Red Cross officials warned people about the health risks and suggested that the blood could be better used for life saving efforts instead. Still thousands of red-shirted protesters from monks to politicians waited in long lines to have their arms pricked by volunteer nurses and doctors over the last few days. "I wasnt afraid to give my blood. The process looked perfectly safe to me," said Sang Hasuk, 34, after donating his blood. "Many people went hysterical about using clean needles and hepatitis and HIV, but for democracy I can sacrifice anything." ...(read more)