A radio journalist was murdered in the Philippines on Tuesday. Nestor Libaton, a news reporter for Catholic-run radio station dxHM in Mati City, was shot several times by men on a motorbike. The journalist was on the back of a motorbike being...
CATEGORY: Asia and Pacific
China: Sina Weibo to introduce “user contract”
Chinese micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo plan to introduce a "user-contract" in an attempt to control sensitive information on the site. The rules, which are set to be introduced later this month, outline do's and don'ts for the site, including...
Thailand: “Uncle SMS” dies during 20-year jail term for insulting monarchy
A Thai man in his 60s who became known as "Uncle SMS" after he was convicted of defaming Thailand's royal family in text messages has died while serving his 20-year prison term. Amphon Tangnoppakul, whose cause of death was unknown, was arrested in...
Al Jazeera correspondent expelled from China
Al Jazeera English's China correspondent, Melissa Chan, has been expelled from the People's Republic after five years in the country. The TV station's English arm today announced it has closed its Beijing bureau after the Chinese authorities...
Playing cat and mouse with China’s censors
The twists and turns in the fate of "barefoot lawyer" Chen Guangcheng have held all in its thrall. Despite the vigilance of web censors, China's netizens --- particularly its social media users --- have found inventive new ways of discussing the...
Chen Guangcheng knows exile isn’t easy, but it may be his best bet
Even before the internet, dissidents in exile were able to create networks that provided a lifeline to those back home, writes Index editor Jo Glanville
Chen Guangcheng asks to leave China with Hillary Clinton
In a day of dramatic developments, the blind Chinese lawyer who left the US embassy in Beijing yesterday has called on Barack Obama to do everything possible to let his family leave China. “I would like to say to (President Obama): Please do...
Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng leaves US embassy
Update: the Associated Press has spoken via Skype to a close friend of Chen, Zeng Jinyan, who claims that Chinese officials forced the activist to choose between going into exile alone or staying in China with his family. More details as we get...
Thailand: Webmaster’s lese majeste verdict delayed
A verdict in the trial of a webmaster accused of failing to quickly remove online comments deemed insulting to Thailand's royalty has been postponed. Judge Nittaya Yaemsri said more time was needed to process documents in the case of Chiranuch...
Malaysian columnist fined for defamatory tweets
Green Energy Sources Well-known Malaysian columnist R Nadeswaran has been ordered to pay 500,000 MYR (£101,193) in damages for comments made on Twitter about a property developer. Nadeswaran allegedly tweeted insults about businessman Mohamed Salim...
