Despite warnings against doing so from senior Chinese officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister Fu Ying, the Nobel Committe has decided to award this year's Peace Prize to jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo.
As I mentioned yesterday, 54-year-old Liu is a writer and critic who was detained in December 2008 for co-authoring a democratic manifesto called Charter 08, which listed a number of demands—including freedom of association, freedom of religion and protection for private property—that the Chinese government saw as an effort to 'subvert' the state.
I'll have more on any reaction, including any official response from the Chinese government, to this tomorrow.