China 'blocks Google news site'

China is censoring Google News to force internet users to use the Chinese version of the site which has been purged of the most critical news reports

--Reporters Without Borders

The Google service is available in 15 localised versions
China has been accused of blocking access to Google News by the media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders.

The Paris-based pressure group said the English-language news site had been unavailable for the past 10 days.

It said the aim was to force people to use a Chinese edition of the site which, according to the watchdog, does not include critical reports.

Google told the BBC News website it was aware of the problems and was investigating the causes.

Chinese firewall

China is believed to extend greater censorship over the net than any other country in the world.

China is censoring Google News to force internet users to use the Chinese version of the site which has been purged of the most critical news reports

Reporters Without Borders
A net police force monitors websites and e-mails, and controls on gateways connecting the country to the global internet are designed to prevent access to critical information.

Popular Chinese portals such as Sina.com and Sohu.com maintain a close eye on content and delete politically sensitive comments.

And all 110,000 net cafes in the country have to use software to control access to websites considered harmful or subversive.