By HANOI (Reuters) - Facebook’s local servers in Vietnam were taken offline early this year, slowing local traffic to a crawl until it agreed to significantly increase the censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, two sources at the company told Reuters on Tuesday.The restrictions, which the sources said were carried out by state-owned telecommunications companies, knocked the servers offline for around seven weeks, meaning the website became unusable at times.“We believe the action was taken to place significant pressure on us to increase our compliance with legal takedown orders...…By HANOI (Reuters) - Facebook’s local servers in Vietnam were taken offline early this year, slowing local traffic to a crawl until it agreed to significantly increase the censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, two sources at the company told Reuters on Tuesday.The restrictions, which the sources said were carried out by state-owned telecommunications companies, knocked the servers offline for around seven weeks, meaning the website became unusable at times.“We believe the action was taken to place significant pressure on us to increase our compliance with legal takedown orders...WW…

By , HANOI (Reuters) - A new decree took effect in Vietnam on Wednesday introducing fines for the dissemination of ‘fake news’ or rumours on social media, amid the rapid spread of comment online about the novel coronavirus in the Southeast Asian country.Slideshow The first COVID-19 cases were detected in Vietnam this January and the health ministry has reported 267 infections so far with no deaths, numbers well below those seen in some other Asian countries.Local authorities have already fined hundreds of people for posting what they described as “fake news” about the virus, using the term...…By , HANOI (Reuters) - A new decree took effect in Vietnam on Wednesday introducing fines for the dissemination of ‘fake news’ or rumours on social media, amid the rapid spread of comment online about the novel coronavirus in the Southeast Asian country.Slideshow The first COVID-19 cases were detected in Vietnam this January and the health ministry has reported 267 infections so far with no deaths, numbers well below those seen in some other Asian countries.Local authorities have already fined hundreds of people for posting what they described as “fake news” about the virus, using the term...WW…

By , HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam approved its first COVID-19 vaccine and cut short an important ruling Communist Party meeting, state media reported on Saturday, as the country battled its biggest coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began.Vietnam, a country of some 98 million people that has so far been highly successful in combatting the virus, has recorded 180 new cases since reporting two locally transmitted cases in the northern province of Hai Duong on Thursday.That is a rapid spread given Vietnam has recorded just 1,739 cases and 35 deaths since the disease was first detected a year...…By , HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam approved its first COVID-19 vaccine and cut short an important ruling Communist Party meeting, state media reported on Saturday, as the country battled its biggest coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began.Vietnam, a country of some 98 million people that has so far been highly successful in combatting the virus, has recorded 180 new cases since reporting two locally transmitted cases in the northern province of Hai Duong on Thursday.That is a rapid spread given Vietnam has recorded just 1,739 cases and 35 deaths since the disease was first detected a year...WW…

By HANOI (Reuters) - As Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party gears up for its most important meeting in years, its leadership has presided over an intensified crackdown on dissent, according to rights groups, activists and data collated by Reuters.A record number of political prisoners, longer jail terms, and increased harassment of activists in recent years have contributed to the crackdown ahead of this week’s Communist Party congress, a gathering to determine national leadership and policy that takes place once every five years.The crackdown has left some international human rights groups...…By HANOI (Reuters) - As Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party gears up for its most important meeting in years, its leadership has presided over an intensified crackdown on dissent, according to rights groups, activists and data collated by Reuters.A record number of political prisoners, longer jail terms, and increased harassment of activists in recent years have contributed to the crackdown ahead of this week’s Communist Party congress, a gathering to determine national leadership and policy that takes place once every five years.The crackdown has left some international human rights groups...WW…

By HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam has threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it does not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform, a senior official at the U.S. social media giant told Reuters.Facebook complied with a government request in April to significantly increase its censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, but Vietnam asked the company again in August to step up its restrictions of critical posts, the official said.“We made an agreement in April. Facebook has upheld our end of the agreement, and we expected the government of...…By HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam has threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it does not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform, a senior official at the U.S. social media giant told Reuters.Facebook complied with a government request in April to significantly increase its censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, but Vietnam asked the company again in August to step up its restrictions of critical posts, the official said.“We made an agreement in April. Facebook has upheld our end of the agreement, and we expected the government of...WW…

By HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam is challenging China’s dominance of coronavirus diplomacy with the donation of medical supplies to Europe and Southeast Asia and even winning plaudits from U.S. President Donald Trump for a shipment of protective suits.China is looking to burnish its credentials as a responsible power by sharing expertise and donating masks and other protective equipment to countries seeing a surge in cases and to repair an image dented by the disease that originated there late last year.Vietnam, despite its lack of resources compared with its giant neighbour, has donated...…By HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam is challenging China’s dominance of coronavirus diplomacy with the donation of medical supplies to Europe and Southeast Asia and even winning plaudits from U.S. President Donald Trump for a shipment of protective suits.China is looking to burnish its credentials as a responsible power by sharing expertise and donating masks and other protective equipment to countries seeing a surge in cases and to repair an image dented by the disease that originated there late last year.Vietnam, despite its lack of resources compared with its giant neighbour, has donated...WW…

By HANOI (Reuters) - Facebook’s local servers in Vietnam were taken offline early this year, slowing local traffic to a crawl until it agreed to significantly increase the censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, two sources at the company told Reuters on Tuesday.The restrictions, which the sources said were carried out by state-owned telecommunications companies, knocked the servers offline for around seven weeks, meaning the website became unusable at times.“We believe the action was taken to place significant pressure on us to increase our compliance with legal takedown orders...…By HANOI (Reuters) - Facebook’s local servers in Vietnam were taken offline early this year, slowing local traffic to a crawl until it agreed to significantly increase the censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, two sources at the company told Reuters on Tuesday.The restrictions, which the sources said were carried out by state-owned telecommunications companies, knocked the servers offline for around seven weeks, meaning the website became unusable at times.“We believe the action was taken to place significant pressure on us to increase our compliance with legal takedown orders...WW…

By HANOI (Reuters) - Facebook’s local servers in Vietnam were taken offline early this year, slowing local traffic to a crawl until it agreed to significantly increase the censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, two sources at the company told Reuters on Tuesday.The restrictions, which the sources said were carried out by state-owned telecommunications companies, knocked the servers offline for around seven weeks, meaning the website became unusable at times.“We believe the action was taken to place significant pressure on us to increase our compliance with legal takedown orders...…By HANOI (Reuters) - Facebook’s local servers in Vietnam were taken offline early this year, slowing local traffic to a crawl until it agreed to significantly increase the censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, two sources at the company told Reuters on Tuesday.The restrictions, which the sources said were carried out by state-owned telecommunications companies, knocked the servers offline for around seven weeks, meaning the website became unusable at times.“We believe the action was taken to place significant pressure on us to increase our compliance with legal takedown orders...WW…