Bill's Charity Linked to Tibet Crackdown

Censorship only builds pressure in Internet age, warns famous artist

(NEWSER) - Authoritarian societies are all about propaganda and control, but the Internet has destroyed both of those pillars, writes the famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in the Guardian . Unlike Russia's glasnost, China never really opened ideologically to the West, only practically. Then came the Internet, and thanks to blogs and microblogs—whether a silly post about breakfast or serious discussions of the news—people in China for the first time have gotten used to expressing themselves. "People have started to feel the breeze," writes Ai. More»

Newly required software strengthens Beijing's controls on Internet

(NEWSER) - Starting next month all computers in China must ship with software to block certain websites, the Wall Street Journal reports. The government says the move is to block "harmful" content such as pornography from young web surfers, but it could also be used to filter politically sensitive material. The directive is forcing Western manufacturers to choose: aid censorship or lose one of the world's most lucrative markets. More»

'Grass-mud horse' sounds like something a whole lot dirtier

(NEWSER) - Two months after it first appeared as a cartoon on a Chinese website, the grass-mud horse is everywhere; videos of the adorable alpaca-like creature have drawn millions of hits, and stuffed animals are for sale. But the grass-mud horse is not a children's cartoon; it's a filthy pun that slipped by Beijing's censors, reports the New York Times—which declined to print the translation. More»

No quid-pro-quo, say both sides

(NEWSER) - A New York developer donated $100,000 to Bill Clinton’s foundation about the same time Sen. Hillary Clinton pushed for millions in federal assistance that helped the developer, the New York Times reports. Robert J. Congel was building a mall that Clinton supported “purely as part of her unwavering commitment to improving upstate New York’s struggling economy,” insisted a representative for the senator. More»

(NEWSER) - Forget for a second the Arab oil money that buoys the Clinton Foundation, Marty Peretz writes in the Wall Street Journal—“since when is the Clinton Foundation one of the approved charities of the United Way?” Nonprofits and foundations, from hospitals to universities to opera companies, are lining the former president's coffers, and Peretz can’t figure out why, or where the money goes—other than Bill Clinton's ego. “This information is not in the report.” More»