BEIJING: China is experimenting with more subtle methods to censor Internet search results ahead of the 24th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to a group that monitors blocked websites in the country. In the past, a search for keywords in China related to the events of June 4, 1989, came up with an explicit message saying: “According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, search results for (the blocked keyword) can not be displayed.” The group said this was an example of “censorship at its worst”, with users duped into believing the keyword they were searching for was not a sensitive topic. The system of online censorship is dubbed the “Great Firewall”, a term combining the words “Great Wall” and computer “firewall”.
US ‘interference’ decried
BEIJING: China urged the US to stop interfering in its affairs yesterday after the US called for a full accounting of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. “We urge the US side to discard political prejudice, correctly treat China’s development, immediately rectify its wrongdoings and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs so as not to sabotage China-US relations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The comments follow a statement from US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Friday. “The 24th anniversary of the violent suppression of demonstrations in Tiananmen Square on June 4 prompts the United States to remember this tragic loss of innocent lives,” Psaki said.
Taiwan passes food safety law
TAIPEI: Taiwan has revised a food safety law to toughen punishment for lacing items with banned chemicals, the government said yesterday, after the latest tainted food scandal on the island. A new clause imposing life imprisonment and a fine of up to Tw$20m ($666,000) has been added if such an offence results in death, officials said. The fine has been raised to up to Tw$15m for using toxic or expired ingredients and up to Tw$3m for using an unapproved amount of additives. In 2011, Taiwan launched a massive recall of sports drinks and juices after some products were found to be tainted with a banned chemical. Agencies
