Bo’s top aide left out of leadership

Xu Ming, who oversees Chongqing’s emerging hi-tech development zone, and propaganda chief He Shizhong have been dropped from the standing committee

Chinese Data Mask Depth of Slowdown, Executives Say

As the Chinese economy continues to sputter, prominent corporate executives in China and Western economists say there is evidence that local and provincial officials are falsifying economic statistics to disguise the true depth of the troubles.

At US hotels, Chinese treated to comforts of home

Major hotel brands are bending over backward to cater to the needs of the world’s most sought-after traveller: the Chinese tourist.

Top PLA officers must report assets

Move was initiated by Hu Jintao and is consistent with his efforts to expose and combat corruption

Aung San Suu Kyi's Speech at the British Parliament

Preparing for the main event

Manila is considering special legal action to pursue its territorial claims against Beijing over Scarborough Shoal, but the risky, complex strategy may backfire

Is the Rush Into Myanmar Creating a Bubble Economy?

In a country where reportedly a quarter of the population lives in poverty and 70 percent live without electricity, a bubble sounds like an odd way to describe what is happening in a part of Myanmar. If the ultimate trophies for international investors are the nation’s rich resources, such as natural gas, tungsten and gems, let’s just call it a gold rush.

China tests troubled waters with $1 billion rig for South China Sea

China has spent nearly $1 billion on an ultra-deepwater rig that appears intended to explore disputed areas of the South China Sea, one of Asia’s most volatile hotspots and where the United States is strengthening ties with Beijing’s rival claimants.

PLA should shift its allegiance to the state rather than the party

The Chinese Communist Party’s control of the People’s Liberation Army is so sensitive that discussion about whether the military should instead put the state first is rarely heard. But with the tussle for senior positions within the party in its final stages, the matter is being aired in the official army newspaper and is sneaking onto microblogs. For the nation to prosper and move confidently forward, the generals and their troops have to be politically neutral. It is a process that must be gradual and will take time to evolve, so open debate is necessary and important.

China suffering from oversupply of luxury homes

China’s luxury property market faces a large oversupply, with significant unsold inventory in the market, according to John R Carter, Managing Editor, Asia & Managing Director, China at Market News International (MNI).

France warns over extradition

French Foreign Ministry asks Cambodia for ‘clarifications on the motives’ for arrest of architect

Why fume now at U.S. over air data?

Beijing has publicly demanded the American embassy stop publishing pollution figures, saying it is a sovereign matter of China’s internal affairs

Petitioner ‘poisoned’ for land complaints

Friends say Mao Qiping was injected with toxic chemical and killed by thugs for leading grievance campaign against local officials over confiscation

Female University Student with 13 Knife Wounds Ruled a Suicide

As if the Chinese police hasn't spun enough unbelievable stories.

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Jim Rogers sues dentist

An American billionaire, a permanent resident here, is suing his dentist over a treatment that has left little for either party to smile about.

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi speaks of family’s ‘sacrifice’

Aung San Suu Kyi made an emotional return to Britain on her 67th birthday Tuesday, visiting her former home of Oxford and speaking of the “sacrifice” her family were forced to make.

China advisers urge govt to relax property curbs

China’s top advisory body called on the government to relax property market restrictions to keep the economy growing, a newspaper said on Wednesday, the first such proposal by advisers to steady a weakening house market.

African fury over death in custody

100 block busy Guangzhou street and throw bricks during angry protest after Nigerian dies in police station after fighting with a taxi driver over fare

Police put the squeeze on massage spas

Workers must wear approved uniforms, under tightened regulations

Space City in the desert not so secret

The birthplace of the nation’s missile and space programmes - and still one of the most active launch pads - has become a lot more transparent

Taiwan tycoon quips he will buy Diaoyu islands

Terry Gou says he plans to purchase disputed atolls; develop them with three parties in ownership row

Vessel plumbs new depths

Manned submersible successfully tested its ability to dive to, and stay, around 7,000 metres. While at the Mariana Trench, the craft conducted sea research.

China property rebound may spell danger

A pickup in residential real-estate sales should actually be seen as a negative indicator that could force an about face on the part of Chinese policy makers, analysts said Tuesday.

Morality campaign ‘doomed to fail’

New books to educate cadres on values are useless without rule of law and democracy, critics say

Cambodia arrests Frenchman linked to Bo Xilai scandal

A French architect with ties to disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been arrested in Cambodia, the French embassy said Tuesday, in a new twist to China’s biggest political scandal in decades.

US House ‘regrets’ Chinese Exclusion

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution Monday decrying a law -- more than a century old -- that prevented Chinese people from immigrating to the United States.

Could Burma be the next emerging market miracle?

In Rangoon's hotel lobbies anticipation is high. Brash Australian miners rub shoulders with hard-nosed American private equity investors. Indonesian infrastructure specialists and Japanese salesmen scout out the terrain.

One-third of accused have no lawyers

With limited funds and manpower, legal groups cannot help all

How did T.T. Durai clear $4m debt to NKF?

A businessman, an architect and younger brother rallied to ex-charity chief’s aid

AGC releases statement on Woffles Wu case

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) released a statement on Sunday morning outlining the reasons behind the charges pursued against Dr. Woffles Wu.

The physics behind Bruce Lee’s one-inch punch

Late star’s famous move, a display of lethal power and lightning speed derived from wing chun, shows velocity can generate greater kinetic energy than mass

Saturation coverage in nation’s media

Lift-off with first woman astronaut is biggest event since 2008 Olympics for TV and newspapers

Astronauts get stellar send-off

Thousands of well-wishers cheer on three crew members of Shenzhou-IX, who headed to orbit in high spirits despite the tough tasks ahead of them

Two big steps for China in space

Shenzhou-IX rocket not only carries nation’s first woman astronaut, but crew will embark on tricky manual docking with orbiting module

Bordeaux Firsts of 2003

The last time I reviewed Bordeaux 2003, it was the non-Firsts in March last year. A host of the 2003s (non-Firsts) were tasted, and my conclusion then was that most of them were not ready unless you could not contain yourself.

As Singapore Loosens Its Grip, Residents Lose Fear to Challenge Authority

Those accustomed to thinking of this booming city-state as a bastion of apolitical strivers and shopaholics might be stunned by the burst of civic activism sweeping this crowded flyspeck of an island.