terrorist state censorship
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Malaysian printer censors pigs' faces
A group of pigs whose faces have been blacked out
A handful of pigs' faces have been censored in the Malaysian edition of the International New York Times, it seems.
The black marks were the work of Malaysian printing firm KHL, which blotted out the faces in a story about farming in the United States, according to the Malay Mail. A representative said it was their policy to obscure pigs because Malaysia was "a Muslim country".
There is no law banning pictures of pigs in Malaysia - a secular country with many faiths - but local media are careful not to offend Muslims who make up two-thirds of the country's 28 million people, the Malay Mail says.
A government spokesperson said the images were not outlawed, but that publishers should bear in mind "the sensitivities of various cultures". There appears to be increasing concern about offending Muslims in the country - last year a TV provider ran a warning ahead of a documentary about Pope Francis, and allegedly cut the words "Ya Allah!" from an Indian film this month.
In 2005 the children's film Babe was banned from cinemas because of its subject matter, and the similarity of the title to the Malay word for pig - "babi". Complaints from viewers saw the ban overturned, however, and it appeared on television the following year.
Wu Songjin, a Guangzhou-based composer, said his new song 'Pork Bun Shop' was inspired by footage of the president queuing up to order a reasonably-priced meal, according to Sichuan newspaper West China City Daily.
The visit was part of the president's campaign to put his party back in touch with the people. Mr Wu says he was "moved" by the spectacle, and wrote the song with lyricist Zou Dangrong just in ten days.
Three singers recorded different versions of the song, all of which were popular with customers at the Beijing shop when Mr Wu played them some samples. One customer said the "lyrics are simple, it's down-to-earth and spreads positive energy".
The newspaper reports that Professor Zhao Shilin, of Minzu Central University, claimed the song was reflective of a cult of personality, and "seriously damaged the leader's image".
Pork Bun Shop goes on sale at the end of January, to mark Chinese Lunar New Year. Singers from various regions of China are reportedly recording dialect versions already.