In Chinese Murder Mystery, Take 2 for Big Scene

In the chill of late January, around the time Chinese were celebrating the Lunar New Year, the police chief of this foggy south-western metropolis pressed Bo Xilai, the ambitious Communist Party official who ruled the area, with evidence that Mr. Bo’s wife had been involved in a murder.

Consensus on two fewer seats at the top table

There has long been debate about what is the right number of seats on the Politburo Standing Committee, and some sources say the leadership has recently reached a consensus on reducing this from nine to seven.

Battle for power

The downfall of Bo Xilai has opened up the competition in the most important leadership change in decades - and maybe even cleared the way for a dark horse

Nation’s auction houses take on the big players

For centuries the art world was dominated by establishment auction firms such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s, but now the mainland has five in the top 10 by revenue

Louis Vuitton passe for China’s super chic

Daisy Liu epitomises China’s obsession with luxury brands: her shoes are Guiseppe Zanotti, her brooch Chanel, a floral Hermes scarf is stylishly knotted over one shoulder. She won’t, however, tote a monogrammed Louis Vuitton handbag ever again.

Crunch time for rule of law in China

Jerome A. Cohen says the outcome of one of China’s key challenges in the next stage of its development - the moulding of a society ruled by law - may well hinge on the selection of security chief Zhou Yongkang’s successor

Calls for June 4 rethink grow in party ranks

Some mainland scholars see signs of support, possibly at a high level, for a vindication of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protesters; others not so sure

Bubble alert: Watch this (industrial) space

Investors rush in, seeking huge rentals, but big supply in pipeline may hit yields

Beijing anti-graft team on trail of casino losses

Beijing has major Macau casinos in its sights as it seeks hard evidence of bribery and money laundering amid a snowballing investigation into a senior banker and a secretive businessman on the mainland.

Aussies red-faced over secret war plan against China

On the eve of his first visit to China as Australia’s Defence Minister yesterday, Mr. Stephen Smith was forced to deal with the embarrassing revelation that his country’s 30-year security blueprint included a secret plan for war with China.

No Arguments - Ajahn Brahm

Chinese Drivers Pose Fresh Risks for Foreign Insurers

"People like us who buy Ferraris don't care too much about insurance because we buy cars for speeding," said Li, in his twenties and the son of a Pearl River Delta factory owner, as he took delivery of a new 5 million yuan ($787,500) 458 Spider, his fourth red Ferrari. "If we crash, we just throw them away."

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Odd twist in China stock index evokes crackdown

In an unlikely coincidence certainly unwelcome to China’s communist rulers, the stock benchmark fell 64.89 points Monday, matching the numbers of the June 4, 1989 crackdown in the heart of Beijing.

Robots lift China's factories to new heights

The giant orange robotic arms that swiftly weld together car frames at the Great Wall Motors factory in Baoding might seem like the perfect answer to China's fast-rising labour costs - they don't ask for a raise, get injured or go on strike.

Nick Bartman’s investigation of fake wine, other IPR issues in China

In March of 2010, I met Nick Bartman twice in Beijing to talk about wine and intellectual property rights (IPR) in China. At that time, Bartman was investigating the scale of IPR infringements, including fake wines, in China and had started The Wine Protection Group in an effort to get major industry players to pool their resources.

Retired SPH Editor: The problem with Singapore’s media

I am publishing this post, dear reader, because I believe that Singaporeans place too much trust in our mainstream media to deliver “the truth”. It really irks me that Singapore’s media keeps patting itself on the back, when it suffers from several problems, not least a pro-government bias. So, I have decided to show six very clear examples of poor journalism. Each one is different, but together they highlight everything that is wrong with our media. Please scroll to the middle of this post to see them. Or, if you permit some preliminary yakking, then read on here….

Exploration ambitions reach new depths

Manned deep-sea submersible heads off in attempt to set a Chinese record for the deepest dive - 7,000 metres down in the West Pacific’s Mariana Trench

Hints of a Rift Between Myanmar’s Political Reformers

The first trip abroad in more than two decades by Myanmar’s opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, appears to have strained her crucial relationship with President U Thein Sein, who is leading the country’s transformation from military dictatorship to embryonic democracy.

911 In Plane Site - ALL MEDIA LIED ON 9/11!

Dark chocolate cuts heart deaths

Australian researchers have found that eating a block of dark chocolate daily over 10 years has "significant" benefits for high-risk cardiac patients and could prevent heart attacks and strokes.