China releases blogger on bail, jails another amid rumour crackdown

Chinese-American venture capitalist Charles Xue, widely known as Xue Manzi, attends a meeting at the 2012 Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing in this May 10, 2012 picture. REUTERS/Stringer

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese-American venture capitalist known for his controversial blogs has been released on bail after nearly eight months in detention because of a "serious illness", Beijing police said amid a crackdown on online dissent.

Charles Xue, also known as Xue Manzi, was detained in August on a charge of visiting prostitutes, an accusation that activists said stemmed from China's efforts to rein in social media.