Last week, in the small town of Palghar, Maharastra, a 21-year-old was arrested for a Facebook post questioning a citywide shutdown to mark the death of a regional leader. Her friend was arrested for ‘liking’ her status. The two...
On Sunday, the world prepared for President Obama’s first-time visit to the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). But underneath the press torrent was a lesser-known event: the leaders of the 10 member states of the regional...
President Barack Obama’s speech at Yangoon University appears to be another step in what he described as a "remarkable journey" for the country. The progress does look real. Back in 2007, BBC special correspondent Fergal Keane wrote a report for...
A war over free expression between Indian citizens and their government is raging, with social media serving as the battlefield. Two girls were arrested in Mumbai today, one for having updated her Facebook status asking why the city was observing a...
India’s most prominent rationalist faces up to three years in prison after Catholic groups brought blasphemy charges against him. They may get more than they bargained for, says Caspar Melville
Vietnam is a country that bans authors because of what they write. I know this because it has just happened to me. Two months ago the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam invited me to attend its annual East Sea conference. Today, standing at the airport...
The world's two biggest superpowers are about to choose their next leaders. While the American battle is laid bare for all to see, in China, Beijing's new emperor and his closest advisers are something of a mystery. That hasn't stopped the rest of...
Following outrage from India's civil society and media, it appears the country's government has backed away from its proposal to create a UN body to govern the internet. The controversial plan, which was made without consulting civil...
Update 26/10: The clip below has now been blocked in China. While Korean pop sensation Psy was teaching UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon how to do the Gangnam Style dance, Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei was at work in his Beijing studio mastering the...
A man has been sentenced to a total of eight months in prison by a Manchester court for wearing a T-shirt daubed with offensive comments referring the murders of PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes. Barry Thew, of Radcliffe, Greater Manchester...