The Chinese authorities appear to have lifted some of the restrictions that blocked Web sites for journalists working at the Olympic Village although other politically sensitive sites, including those on Tibet, remained inaccessible on Friday morning. The government made no announcement about the partial lifting of its firewall, and it was unclear if the change was temporary. The International Olympic Committee on Friday also sought to counter statements on Wednesday by one of its top press officials that suggested that I.O.C. negotiators had quietly acquiesced to the restrictions. The loosening of restrictions, however limited, came after senior committee officials on Thursday spoke with Olympic organizers and urged them to reconsider their decision to maintain a ban on politically sensitive sites, which critics said violated previous pledges China had made to provide uncensored Internet access to reporters. On Friday morning, Web sites for Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Radio Free Asia and the Chinese language service of the BBC — all of which had previously been blocked — could be viewed at the Olympic Village. Although their availability was inconsistent, the pages could also be read in other parts of Beijing. Other sites, however, including those that discuss Tibet, Chinese dissidents and the 1989 demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, remained blocked.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/sports/olympics/01censor.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Andrew%20Jacobs&st=cse&oref=slogin
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