China has rejected a call from a United Nations rights watchdog to halt torture of detainees, saying the group’s recommendations were based on unverified information and that it should “improve its work style.”

China has failed to live up to its obligations to comply with an international convention against torture, according to a report by Amnesty International.

Australia’s ambassador met Indonesian government officials who summoned him following reports the Australian Embassy in Jakarta is a hub for Washington’s secret electronic data collection programme.

Violent incidents have spread this week in a tense minority region of western China.

A Tibetan poet and activist due to be presented with an international award for courage in the United States will not be able to receive the honour because Chinese authorities have denied her a passport.