BREAKING NEWS

China's top Tibet official orders tighter Internet control

BEIJING - China's top official in Tibet has urged authorities to tighten their grip on the Internet and mobile phones, state media reported on Thursday, reflecting the government's fears about unrest ahead of its annual parliamentary session.
The move is the latest in a series of measures the government says are intended to maintain stability, and comes after a spate of self-immolations and protests against Chinese control in the country's Tibetan-populated areas.
It is likely to mean phone and online communications will be even more closely monitored and censored than is normal.
Chen Quanguo, who was appointed the Chinese Communist Party chief of Tibet last August, urged authorities at all levels to "further increase their alertness to stability maintenance" ahead of the National People's Congress, the official Tibet Daily newspaper quoted him as saying on Wednesday.