Google: China Is Blocking Gmail

Google and China are at odds once again: The Web giant says the Chinese government is blocking its Gmail service after users reported difficulty gaining access. "There is no issue on our side; we have checked extensively,” Google said in a statement Sunday. “This is a government blockage, carefully designed to look like the problem is with Gmail.” The government has been especially strict with censorship since protests broke out in the Middle East. Last year, Google moved its Chinese-language Internet server from China to Hong Kong.