BBC website available again in China

The BBC has reported its website has been unblocked in China, after access had been denied to Chinese internet users for several days.

The website was first blocked around the time of the award ceremony for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the prize in absentia, as the activist is currently incarcerated in China.

According to the BBC, its website was not the only international news website blocked in China in the days following the award ceremony. The BBC claims China's government often prevents access to international websites and censors internet search results.

Chinese officials did not issue any comment regarding the blocking of international news sites, although the government's censorship of internet content has been widely reported in the past.

According to the BBC, some websites, including their own, are only temporarily blocked to Chinese users after major news events relating to China. Others, such as the Human Rights Watch website, are permanently inaccessible.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded yearly to exceptional individuals who have contributed to promoting world peace. The prize was first awarded in 1901.