Fearing pollution, north China residents protest plant despite government warning

By Christian Shepherd and Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Fearing pollution, hundreds of residents in a northeastern Chinese city on Tuesday protested the building of an aluminum processing plant, ignoring warnings from authorities against disturbing social order. Urban Chinese residents, angry about environmental degradation and hazardous smog, have become increasingly concerned about living near polluting factories, occasionally protesting against new projects. Tens of thousands of "mass incidents" - the usual euphemism for protests - take place each year in China, triggered by corruption, pollution, illegal land grabs and other grievances.