Friday 13 April 2012

China Inquiry Widens to Wealth of Powerful Couple

What began as a scandal involving the mysterious death of Neil Heywood, the British businessman whose body was found in November in a Chongqing hotel room, appears to be evolving into a broader investigation into the wealth of a politically powerful Chinese couple, Bo Xilai and his wife, Gu Kailai, and their financial interests.

Thursday 12 April 2012

Trading with China? Be careful

After-sales services set to boom

Frenzied growth in car purchases is abating on the mainland, creating room for repair chains to expand

China: Developers dangle promise of retirement paradise

Invest at least 350,000 yuan (S$70,000) a year in an insurance policy and get to live for free when you retire in a high-end elderly home at various places across China.

Chinese buy German firms with knowhow

The buyers are looking for growth engines, and not just raw materials or patents

Blinded by prejudice

Chen Yiyu, chief of central government research fund, says that despite enormously improved standards, Chinese research still faces discrimination on world stage

Aussie lawyer found guilty over insult in Perth

An Australian lawyer who abused a security officer at a Perth courthouse and told him to go back to Singapore was found guilty of professional misconduct by a tribunal in her country.

Pressure on local cadres to combat counterfeit goods

The central government has pledged to combat fake and shoddy products by monitoring local governments’ efforts to counteract them as part of their annual achievement appraisals.

Taoist robe in fashion show: Police reports filed

At least two Taoists have filed police reports over the use of a Taoist priest’s robe in a fashion show organised by the Floral Designers Society Singapore (FDSS) last month.

We deserve red card for expat package, says StarHub

StarHub yesterday apologised for running an expatriates-only football promotion that offered gifts worth $50.

Wealthy foreigners can’t ‘buy’ PR status anymore

MAS ending scheme allowing those who parked $10m here to fast-track applications

Bo’s sacking adds new twist to leadership reshuffle

Crisis has led to much speculation over which party faction will gain as horse-trading continues

Robert Parker report: 'Appearance of impropriety' in Campo/Miller arrangements

The Wine Advocate's arrangements in Spain last year created 'inappropriate ambiguity' and fell short of the high standards the organisation sets itself, an investigation has found.

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Checks and balances lacking

CCP must find way to transfer power in a stable manner

Betrayal, murder and graft

When the crime-fighting exploits of Mr Wang Lijun inspired a TV series in China more than a decade back, few could have predicted that the real-life adventures of the protagonist would be so much more exciting.

Wife said to be holding foreign passport

Being a murder suspect may not be the only trouble for Madam Gu Kailai, 53, wife of purged Chinese leader Bo Xilai.

Bo’s fall sparks shock, scepticism in China

Many express support for him; media rally people behind ouster

‘Resolute’ decision to expel Bo is praised by media

The mainland’s media yesterday rallied behind the decision to expel Bo Xilai from the Communist Party’s top echelons, hailing his dismissal as a victory for party discipline and the rule of law.

Legal eagle’s fall from grace

The former top lawyer who married a princeling, then became a ‘stay-at-home mother’, is now under arrest

Murder case that could end in the death penalty

Fate may await Bo’s wife if charged and convicted

Bo a victim of his own ambition

Rising star, destined to become a key member of the new leadership, who went the way of countless others in history and failed in the pursuit of ultimate glory

China's small exporters must adapt or die

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Briton’s Wanderings Led Him to Heart of a Chinese Scandal

“I think most of us who knew Neil felt that the truth was probably much more mundane, and that whatever happened to him will turn out in the end to be the result of some kind of romantic venture, something that took him into a realm that others hadn’t been, that ended up getting out of hand.”

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Bo Xilai ousted, wife probed for Briton's murder

Chinese politician Bo Xilai, once a rising star, has been stripped of his elite Communist Party post while his wife is probed for the murder of a British national, state media said Tuesday.

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