https://www.scmp.com/rss/308691/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com More law reporters are joining the legal profession to push for greater journalistic transparency as they grow increasingly frustrated with the government’s tightening grip on the media industry. Beijing-based criminal attorney Wang Dianxue is one of them. He speaks to Keira Lu Huang on the mainland's legal reform, lawyers’ working conditions and his ambition to set up an information-sharing platform for reporters and lawyers. After 15 years in legal reporting, what motivated you to make the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1904348/china-one-former-reporters-journey-journalism-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1904348/china-one-former-reporters-journey-journalism-law?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Jan 2016 20:27:20 +0000 China took the rare step on Monday of announcing that the suspended death sentences handed down to two high-profile figures had been reduced to life in prison. Commuting such sentences is a routine practice, but highlighting it is unusual. In Beijing, the high court on Monday said that Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced former Politburo member Bo Xilai, had her suspended death penalty reduced to a life sentence following good behaviour. She was found guilty in 2012 of murdering a British... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1891227/chinese-court-commutes-death-sentencefor-bo-xilais-wife?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1891227/chinese-court-commutes-death-sentencefor-bo-xilais-wife?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Dec 2015 15:45:30 +0000 Speculation swirled over the fate of one of China’s most powerful tycoons, Fosun Group chairman Guo Guangchang, amid reports that he cannot be contacted. Citing unidentified sources, mainland news outlet Caixin last night reported that the conglomerate could not contact Guo, dubbed China’s Warren Buffett, since noon and that it was still unknown whether he was detained on corruption charges or was assisting in probes into others. UPDATE: Missing Fosun billionaire ‘allowed calls’, as company... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1889626/chinas-warren-buffett-guo-guangchang-under-arrest-trading-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1889626/chinas-warren-buffett-guo-guangchang-under-arrest-trading-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Dec 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Unhealthy smog hovered over central Beijing as limits on cars, factories and construction sites kept pollution from spiking even higher on Wednesday, on the second of three days of restrictions triggered by the city's first red alert for smog. While this round of heavy air pollution peaked today, meteorologists have already issued warnings for the next bout of smog expected to cover the city from Saturday. Beijing’s air quality index recorded 304 on Wednesday morning and would rise further in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1888959/smog-remains-same-beijings-air-toxic-days-come?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1888959/smog-remains-same-beijings-air-toxic-days-come?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Dec 2015 08:15:00 +0000 About 120,000 fake face masks have been seized in Shanghai and investigators fear some may have been sold overseas, according to a news report. The goods were copies of Chinese-made masks designed by the US-based conglomerate 3M, the China News Service reported. READ MORE: Beijing under red alert for smog - and it’s going to get worse before it gets better The counterfeit 3M N95 masks were poorly made and all have been destroyed, the report said. 3M was quoted as saying the fakes were made of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1888920/choking-pollution-scare-120000-fake-face-masks-seized-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1888920/choking-pollution-scare-120000-fake-face-masks-seized-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Dec 2015 05:00:00 +0000 Beijing issued its first red alert for smog on Monday night as the capital was hit by hazardous levels of pollution for the second time within a week. The alert – the highest in a four-level system – will be in place from 7am on Tuesday until noon on Thursday. Beijing has ordered primary and secondary schools to close and recommended government departments, public institutions and companies to implement flexible working hours. READ MORE: Beijing air pollution: black humour and satire as capital... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1888092/beijings-choking-smog-hits-red-alert-level-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1888092/beijings-choking-smog-hits-red-alert-level-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Dec 2015 13:15:30 +0000 A former high-flying Dalian tycoon associated with disgraced princeling Bo Xilai reportedly died of a heart attack in a Hubei prison on Friday, roughly nine months before he was due to be released, mainland media reported yesterday. Xu Ming, 44, founded Dalian Shide – a conglomerate that ranged from construction materials to insurance, real estate and soccer – in 1992 and was one of the mainland’s youngest billionaires. He was jailed for four years in late 2012 for offering Bo and his family... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1887879/jailed-chinese-tycoon-and-ally-disgraced-princeling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1887879/jailed-chinese-tycoon-and-ally-disgraced-princeling?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Dec 2015 14:15:00 +0000 Bad behaviour by mainland tourists has once again attracted an outpouring of criticism online, mainland media report. This time boorish travellers targeted migratory red-billed gulls at a park in Yunnan province on Monday, the news portal People.cn reported. Pictures posted online showed a man seizing one of the wild gulls by its feet as he posed for a selfie in Kunming’s Cuihu Park, or Green Lake Park. Read more: Travel sickness: visitors turning China’s Qinghai Lake attraction into huge... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885643/chinese-tourists-spark-online-criticism-selfies-wild-gulls-given?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885643/chinese-tourists-spark-online-criticism-selfies-wild-gulls-given?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Dec 2015 14:15:15 +0000 Latest travel figures provided by the Japan Tourism Agency show that the number of trips made by Chinese tourists to Japan in the first 10 months of 2015 has exceeded four million - double the number of trips by mainlanders to the country over the same period last year. Mainland online news portal Thepaper.cn quoted Japanese media as saying that one Japanese company had even made dolls inspired by Chinese shoppers, which have been widely discussed on social media. Tourism experts say that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885471/chinese-holidaymakers-trips-japan-year-exceed-four-million-double?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885471/chinese-holidaymakers-trips-japan-year-exceed-four-million-double?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Dec 2015 07:15:00 +0000 A drunk driver has crashed a car worth 26 million yuan (HK$31 million) in southwest China, according to a news website report. The man, aged 26, was driving a Koenigsegg Agera R when he crashed at just past midnight on Saturday in Chongqing, the website of the Guangming Daily said. The car is made by a Swedish manufacturer and was one of only six special types of the model produced, according to the report. The car hit a roadside barrier and was severely damaged. The driver and a woman passenger... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885444/drunk-driver-crashes-car-worth-us4-million-southwest-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885444/drunk-driver-crashes-car-worth-us4-million-southwest-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Dec 2015 04:45:45 +0000 Photographs of a security guard who looks like the internet tycoon Jack Ma have gone viral on the internet in China, according to a newspaper report. Ke Quanshou, 58, said he was often asked to pose for pictures because of his likeness to the head of the e-commerce firm Alibaba, the Chengdu Economic Daily reported. READ MORE: Meet Xi Jinping’s lookalike: Meat pie hawker cuts a presidential figure in Hunan Ke lives in Chengdu in Sichuan province and even his son says he is a dead ringer for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1885432/dead-ringer-photographs-jack-ma-lookalike-go-viral-internet-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1885432/dead-ringer-photographs-jack-ma-lookalike-go-viral-internet-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Dec 2015 03:29:05 +0000 A woman has apparently been offered free popcorn for life at a cinema chain owned by China’s richest man after she complained on social media that she was not given a full portion of the snack at one of its movie theatres. The woman had complained that when she visited a Wanda Cinema her box of popcorn was only 80 per cent full. The company is controlled by the Chinese tycoon Wang Jianlin. His son Wang Sicong responded to the post about an hour later. “In the future, when you go to the cinema... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885205/chinese-tycoons-son-offers-unhappy-cinemagoer-free-popcorn-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885205/chinese-tycoons-son-offers-unhappy-cinemagoer-free-popcorn-life?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Nov 2015 08:24:53 +0000 Shanghai’s most promising young soccer players may soon receive training from English Premier League coaches from clubs including Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur as part of a new initiative to boost standards in the sport. A number of coaches from leading English clubs have shown interest in helping to train players, and will be offered “reasonable salary requirements”, the Shanghai news portal Thepaper.cn reported. Some Premier League coaches, including Liverpool’s Darren... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1885188/english-premier-league-coaches-help-kick-chinas-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1885188/english-premier-league-coaches-help-kick-chinas-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Nov 2015 07:00:45 +0000 A woman from northern China has bought gold bars worth 3.5 million yuan (HK$4.2 million) issued to mark the forthcoming Year of the Monkey, according to a newspaper report. The woman in her fifties bought 13.3 kg of the precious metal in Jilin province from a gold store, the Xinwenhua newspaper reported. The province received 90 kg of the specially produced bars, 10 kg more than last year, and they were sold for 267 yuan per gram on Sunday, the lowest price since 2010, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885179/woman-china-buys-13kg-year-monkey-gold-bars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1885179/woman-china-buys-13kg-year-monkey-gold-bars?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Nov 2015 07:00:18 +0000 A swathe of China was blanketed with dangerous acrid smog on Monday after levels of the most dangerous particulates reached the highest recorded this year at almost 50 times World Health Organisation recommended limits. Levels of PM2.5, the tiny airborne particles considered most harmful to health, reached 1,157 micrograms per cubic metre in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, on Sunday, data from the city's environmental protection bureau showed. In Changchun, the capital of neighbouring... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1877282/smog-northeast-china-nearly-50-times-world-health-organisation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1877282/smog-northeast-china-nearly-50-times-world-health-organisation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2015 15:45:15 +0000 China's ambitious national emissions trading scheme is a "game changer" in the long term but current power prices and high equipment costs will make it hard for the renewable energy sector to benefit from it in the foreseeable future, analysts said. The trading system, announced in a joint US-China climate statement during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States in September, stated that the new scheme would cover "key industry sectors such as iron and steel, power generation,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1875125/chinas-emissions-trading-scheme-be-game-changer-eventually?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1875125/chinas-emissions-trading-scheme-be-game-changer-eventually?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Nov 2015 19:01:52 +0000 Capped by a 21-gun salute and a dinner at the White House, President Xi Jinping's first state visit to the US was hailed in China as a great success. The trip was given blanket positive coverage in state media, with wall-to-wall articles and stories burnishing Xi's image as an international leader. But while there were some signs of easing in various bilateral tensions, analysts said the ultimate value of the trip would depend on how Xi and his American counterpart Barack Obama follow through... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1862562/now-hard-part-following-xi-jinpings-trip-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1862562/now-hard-part-following-xi-jinpings-trip-action?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Sep 2015 16:00:30 +0000 The leaders of China and the United States yesterday pledged to curb commercial cyberespionage as President Xi Jinping concluded a state visit that analysts said had made incremental progress in bolstering recently strained relations. In what was possibly the final summit between the pair in a two-way setting - US President Barack Obama leaves office in 2017 - China sought to emphasize cooperation amid concerns the next administration may take a tougher stance against it. Speaking after the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1861710/chinese-president-xi-jinping-crowns-us-state-visit-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1861710/chinese-president-xi-jinping-crowns-us-state-visit-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2015 20:45:45 +0000 The president and a vice-president of People.cn - the website of People's Daily - have been taken away by Henan prosecutors for alleged bribery, state media reported yesterday. Several mainland media outlets reported the news last night but their stories were quickly removed. The president Liao Hong, 52, helped to launch the website in 1997, according to his public profile. He joined the newspaper after graduating from Beijing University of Technology 30years ago. He was detained along with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1853598/top-bosses-peoples-daily-website-detained?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1853598/top-bosses-peoples-daily-website-detained?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2015 18:15:15 +0000 The Communist Party's newspaper warned on Friday that cadres must get behind the leadership's reform push and have results showing they are carrying it forward. Performance reviews and any job promotions would depend on their commitment to President Xi Jinping's agenda, People's Daily said in a commentary, which was unusually direct in its language. "The crucial point to help the reform push succeed is personnel management," it said. Xi's reforms have encountered resistance partly due to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1851605/no-promotion-slackers-reform-agenda-chinas-state-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1851605/no-promotion-slackers-reform-agenda-chinas-state-media?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Aug 2015 15:45:30 +0000 Zhang Kuan, 48, regrets having introduced his nephew to the firefighting department at Tianjin's port. His nephew, Zheng Guangliang, was a firefighter in team No 1. He arrived at the scene of the fire five minutes before the second blast and has been missing since. "The firefighters in the same vehicle with him are all missing now," Zhang said. "The commander should have given them the right orders. I hope the investigation finds out whether he did." He called for authorities to be transparent... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850626/heroes-who-didnt-return-tianjin-mourns-firefighters-lost-port?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850626/heroes-who-didnt-return-tianjin-mourns-firefighters-lost-port?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Aug 2015 15:45:00 +0000 Some residents and journalists near the blast site in Tianjin experienced skin burns as rain hit the Binhai New Area on Tuesday. Amid fears the rain could spark toxic reactions with chemicals at the site - in particular with hundreds of tonnes of sodium cyanide - an official urged the public to "stay far away". As the rain progressed, an unusual white foam emerged on roads near the blast site. A journalist for Caixin reported feeling burns on the lips and arms after being exposed to the rain. A... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850625/mystery-white-foam-and-burns-reported-rain-falls-tianjin-blast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850625/mystery-white-foam-and-burns-reported-rain-falls-tianjin-blast?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Aug 2015 15:30:15 +0000 The explosions in Tianjin last week scattered sodium cyanide as far as 1km from the blast site, the city's vice-mayor admitted on Monday, as fears rose that rain forecast over the next few days could react with the chemical to release highly poisonous hydrogen cyanide gas. Making his first public appearance since Wednesday's blasts, He Shushan, who is in charge of work safety in the city, explained his absence as due to a desperate attempt to search for and remove the chemical over the past few... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850372/fears-deadly-cyanide-gas-reaction-rain-forecast-tianjin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850372/fears-deadly-cyanide-gas-reaction-rain-forecast-tianjin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Aug 2015 15:45:00 +0000 President Xi Jinping has officially invited Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to a ceremony in September commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war. Beijing had been waiting for a reply since the invitation was made three weeks ago, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Cheng Guoping said on Friday following a BRICS summit. Cheng said all leaders from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation members - Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - had agreed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1837062/japan-pm-shinzo-abe-studies-possible-china-visit-repair-strained?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1837062/japan-pm-shinzo-abe-studies-possible-china-visit-repair-strained?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jul 2015 12:30:45 +0000 The former party chief of Hebei’s impoverished Daming county, Bian Fei, 54, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes, abuse of power and holding a huge amount of property that he could not account for. Authorities announced in December, 2013 that Bian was being investigated for graft. His ill-gotten gains were estimated to be worth 101 million yuan (HK$128 million), the Southern Metropolis News reported. Bian’s salary as county party chief was about 5,000 yuan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1826524/chinese-county-chief-5000-yuan-salary-took-bribes-and-kickbacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1826524/chinese-county-chief-5000-yuan-salary-took-bribes-and-kickbacks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2015 01:30:00 +0000 A retired senior official who was for eight years in charge of the Communist Party's personnel issues in Zhejiang province, has been expelled from the party for taking bribes in return for handing out promotions. Si Xinliang's case had been handed over to prosecutors, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said. The mainland's top graft-busting agency had in February announced Si was under investigation for corruption. The 65-year-old Zhejiang native's final post before he retired in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1823973/cadre-expelled-over-bribes-promotion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1823973/cadre-expelled-over-bribes-promotion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:15:00 +0000 When President Xi Jinping visited southwestern Guizhou province on Monday, he chose Zunyi - the city where the Communist Party's famous Zunyi Conference was held during the Red Army's Long March - as the starting point of his tour. Xi toured the site of the Zunyi Conference, a significant meeting held in 1935 through which the collective leadership of the Communist Party was formed. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the conference. At Huamao village, the president was briefed on advanced... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1823252/chinas-president-xi-jinping-visits-zunyi-city-where?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1823252/chinas-president-xi-jinping-visits-zunyi-city-where?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jun 2015 21:00:30 +0000 Thursday's abrupt announcement that Zhou Yongkang had been brought to trial, pleaded guilty and sentenced has left an important question hanging in the air - what's next for President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign? A day after the announcement that surprised many, including lawyers close to the cases of Zhou's family members, the Communist Party's graft watchdog announced the first batch of inspection findings of major state-owned enterprises, such as China Huaneng Group. It accused some of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1820777/ex-security-tsar-zhou-yongkang-behind-bars-where-will?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1820777/ex-security-tsar-zhou-yongkang-behind-bars-where-will?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jun 2015 17:00:30 +0000 The corruption campaign that has felled several of China's political, military and business giants is a "double-edged" sword, the anti-graft agency said yesterday, its first public acknowledgment of the toll the drive has taken on the Communist Party. "While it punishes party cadres who have violated discipline and laws, it [also] hurts the organisation, and has caused damage to the party's image," said a commentary published on the website of the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1815569/chinas-graft-busters-admit-corruption-drive-has-hurt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1815569/chinas-graft-busters-admit-corruption-drive-has-hurt?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Officially there are 11 taboo topics for proposals made to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - so much so, it seems, that many delegates attending this year's plenum in Beijing have never heard of them. The constitution states that the political advisory body has the right to take part in the political process and discuss state affairs. But only up to a point. Proposals cannot broach Communist Party or state secrets, or topics banned by the state; suggestions about personnel... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1733359/names-people-facing-graft-probe-among-eight-banned-topics-during-annual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1733359/names-people-facing-graft-probe-among-eight-banned-topics-during-annual?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2015 05:30:15 +0000 GUANGDONG Dial 'S' for sick A college student in Guangzhou who is a habitual mobile phone user has sought medical treatment for his constantly teary eyes and a continual spasm in his right hand, the New Express reports. Doctors confirmed that both symptoms were the result of playing with his cell phone for too much. The student said he tried to catch as many virtual red packets as possible during the Lunar New Year holiday, and barely left his phone. Doctors have also seen more cases of cervical... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1725130/around-nation-habitual-mobile-phone-using-student-seeks-medical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1725130/around-nation-habitual-mobile-phone-using-student-seeks-medical?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2015 13:30:00 +0000 ZHEJIANG Devout pig A pig appeared outside a Buddhist temple in Yongjia county, Wenzhou in what appeared to be a pose of praying on the last day of a Dharma Assembly ceremony, the Qianjiang Evening News reports. The pig stayed in the pose for a long time and refused to leave until a senior monk chanted scriptures to it. Photos posted online amazed some internet users, while others claimed the animal was suffering from a vitamin E deficiency. The pig's owner, unfortunately, slaughtered the animal... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1723261/around-nation-pig-prays-temple?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1723261/around-nation-pig-prays-temple?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2015 13:00:00 +0000 ANHUI Nice try Two homeless men in Hefei , who had twice rejected offers of a bed from the city's homeless shelter, returned the shelter yesterday asking for two train tickets to tropical Hainan as they said the city was too cold for them, Ahwang.cn reports. The men, in their 40s, had come from Heilongjiang to Anhui to beg. As one had a cold, and the other's shoes were broken, they asked to go to Hainan for winter. The shelter refused but bought them tickets back to Heilongjiang, the coldest... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1698797/around-nation-phone-scammer-took-millions-rural-elderly-over-five?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1698797/around-nation-phone-scammer-took-millions-rural-elderly-over-five?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2015 14:15:45 +0000 BEIJING Security guard beaten A security guard at a residential compound in the capital and his wife were attacked by at least five people after the guard stopped a man from urinating in public, The Beijing News reports. Witnesses said there was a public toilet less than 20 metres away from the building but the man refused to go there. After the guard tried to stop him, the man called over another three men and two women and they pushed the couple against a wall and hit and kicked them for at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1644833/poor-couple-trial-selling-children-teen-leaps-death-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1644833/poor-couple-trial-selling-children-teen-leaps-death-after?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2014 19:07:00 +0000 ANHUI Selfie stops trains Two trains were forced to apply their emergency brakes in Wuhu after a college student stood on the track to take "selfies", China Daily reports. The 22-year-old man posed on the rail line and waited for a train to come to take photographs of himself with rolling stock in the background. He refused to get out of the way until the train was 50 metres away. He later posted the photos online, drawing widespread criticism from internet users. Police said they were... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1644053/newlywed-found-dead-fishpond-selfie-poser-stops-trains-tracks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1644053/newlywed-found-dead-fishpond-selfie-poser-stops-trains-tracks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000 BEIJING Money changer cheated An illegal money changer in the capital has been cheated out of about 370,000 yuan (HK$467,000) after he exchanged cash for two European-looking men and it turned out their notes were counterfeit, The Beijing News reports. The foreigners said they had euros to change after meeting the money changer on the street. He then took their cash to the bank and was told it was fake. The money changer reported the incident to the police, even though he knew he would be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1643344/egg-size-kidney-stones-miracle-baby-born-panda-recovering-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1643344/egg-size-kidney-stones-miracle-baby-born-panda-recovering-after?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2014 19:19:56 +0000 BEIJING Mother 'killed baby' A doctoral student in the capital allegedly killed her one-year-old adopted daughter and told doctors she had died after falling off her bed, the Mirror reports. The suspect, who has spent six years studying for her degree, is schizophrenic and has suffered from depression. The baby's crying woke her late one night and she allegedly hit the child's head against a cabinet several times, killing the infant. The woman has been charged with murder. Bakery shop bunfight A... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1642446/mystery-over-guangzhou-university-students-death-bwm-owner-flies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1642446/mystery-over-guangzhou-university-students-death-bwm-owner-flies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:15:00 +0000 President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama reached consensus on a wide range of issues that the two leaders hope will contribute to a reshaping of bilateral relations. Here are the major points they announced:   Climate change China's CO {-2} emissions will peak around 2030 and it will increase the non-fossil fuel share of energy generation to 20 per cent about the same time. China will actively expand the nuclear, wind, solar and other renewable energy sectors. The United States... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1638451/chinese-president-xi-jinping-and-barack-obama-agree-raft-measures-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1638451/chinese-president-xi-jinping-and-barack-obama-agree-raft-measures-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2014 19:45:15 +0000 China upped the ante in its bid to be the Asia-Pacific's economic leader when President Xi Jinping unveiled a plan for a Chinese-led regional free-trade framework to visiting foreign leaders yesterday. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit ended with all 21 Apec economies endorsing China's plan to create a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). It was the first major international gathering held in China since Xi took power in late 2012. Addressing leaders including US President... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1637765/xi-jinping-unveils-chinas-plan-asia-pacific-wide-free-trade-pact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1637765/xi-jinping-unveils-chinas-plan-asia-pacific-wide-free-trade-pact?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:30:15 +0000 Liu Jinguo, a police veteran and deputy party boss of the Communist Party's anti-graft watchdog, is one of the busiest men in Beijing as he oversees the police and efforts to tackle corruption and illegal cults. Mainland media reported this week that the 59-year-old Hebei native became a member of the Central Politics and Law Commission in July, the latest addition to a series of titles he holds, according to his resume on a government website. Liu's other hats include deputy party boss and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1634591/liu-jinguo-man-many-hats-no-vulnerable-past-exploit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1634591/liu-jinguo-man-many-hats-no-vulnerable-past-exploit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2014 19:45:30 +0000 Mainland lawyers and legal scholars have expressed concern over proposed restrictions on what lawyers can disclose about their cases as top lawmakers continued their week-long meeting in Beijing yesterday. The bi-monthly meeting of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, which started on Monday, is reviewing draft amendments and revisions to new and existing laws, including the death penalty, counterespionage and anti-terrorism. Lawmakers say the additions to the Criminal Law will... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1627055/proposed-amendment-criminal-law-just-another-way-restrict-us-say-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1627055/proposed-amendment-criminal-law-just-another-way-restrict-us-say-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:00:30 +0000 Police held anti-terror drills on Monday at the two sites hosting the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit as security preparations in the capital are stepped up. The drills took place simultaneously at the China National Convention Centre in northern Beijing and at Yanqi Lake, with its 65-hectare island featuring a luxury hotel and villas on the outskirts of the capital, according to the China News Agency. State media said the operations were designed to test the police response to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1626630/police-stage-anti-terror-drills-beijing-steps-apec-security-preparations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1626630/police-stage-anti-terror-drills-beijing-steps-apec-security-preparations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2014 06:00:45 +0000 The top prosecutor's office has laid out a new regulation to protect whistle-blowers who report corruption and other crimes by civil servants. The full text of the amended regulation was published yesterday on the website of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. It is the first time since the regulation was established in 1996 that the rights of whistle-blowers have been clarified. Currently, an amendment to the Administrative Supervision Law states that authorities shall maintain the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1626232/prosecutors-enshrine-rights-and-protections-whistle-blowers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1626232/prosecutors-enshrine-rights-and-protections-whistle-blowers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:00:30 +0000 Last week's open letter from students to President Xi Jinping seeking the retraction of the National People's Congress Standing Committee decision on Hong Kong's electoral reform shows a lack of understanding of how the country's political system works, mainland experts say. It also goes against the policy direction that Xi himself wants to promote, which puts emphasis on respect for collective decisions and laws. Many people in Hong Kong consider the framework the NPC Standing Committee set out... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1620906/students-letter-xi-jinping-shows-lack-understanding-mainland-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1620906/students-letter-xi-jinping-shows-lack-understanding-mainland-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2014 20:30:15 +0000 As the Communist Party elite converge on Beijing tomorrow to discuss rule of law, few specifics are likely to emerge of the case of former law and order chief Zhou Yongkang. Analysts say details of how Zhou violated the law will probably not be discussed at the fourth plenum of the Central Committee. Instead, the party will stick to pre-rehearsed political rhetoric, even if Zhou is publicly ousted from the party. "According to the procedures set by the party, the results of investigations of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1619594/plenum-set-decide-zhou-yongkangs-fate-dont-expect-details?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1619594/plenum-set-decide-zhou-yongkangs-fate-dont-expect-details?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2014 22:09:23 +0000 Four children were injured in a knife attack on Monday afternoon in China’s central Henan province. Two were severely injured, but all four are out of danger now, Xinhua reported this morning via its Weibo account. The report said the defendant used a fruit knife to slit the children’s throats in Xi Tasi Street at Pingyu county, Zhumadian city. Witnesses told Xinhua that passers-by subdued the man and handed him over to police when they arrived. No identification of the alleged attacker has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1611277/four-children-injured-henan-knife-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1611277/four-children-injured-henan-knife-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2014 03:01:02 +0000 Quality regulators have certified Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for sale on the mainland but consumers have been left guessing when they will be able to get their hands on the new models. The China Quality Certification Centre granted the necessary China Compulsory Certificates for the devices on Wednesday, according to the centre's website. The certificates are required for any electronics product sold on the mainland. However, Apple has not set a release date for the smartphones in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1591317/apple-fans-china-left-guessing-over-when-they-will-get-hands-iphone-6?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1591317/apple-fans-china-left-guessing-over-when-they-will-get-hands-iphone-6?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2014 20:15:00 +0000 Top executives at state-owned enterprises (SOEs) will have their salaries cut and perks reduced, the central government announced yesterday. The reforms were passed at a Politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping , who has led the campaign against extravagance. Former premier Wen Jiabao was unable to carry out a pledge to introduce similar reforms. Xinhua reported that the government wanted to narrow the gap between what top executives earned and the salaries of employees lower down the... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1581929/politburo-approves-pay-cuts-bosses-state-owned-enterprises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1581929/politburo-approves-pay-cuts-bosses-state-owned-enterprises?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2014 17:30:45 +0000 It has been three weeks since the formal announcement of an investigation into retired security tsar Zhou Yongkang but party leaders in some provinces have been puzzlingly slow to publicly declare their support for the decision, according to some analysts. Qinghai province became the last of the 31 provinces to publicly support the Communist Party's decision to investigate Zhou, and the slowness of some provincial-level committees to agree may signal at least some hesitation within the party on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1576387/some-provinces-puzzlingly-slow-over-backing-zhou-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1576387/some-provinces-puzzlingly-slow-over-backing-zhou-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2014 19:15:30 +0000 A team of baby pandas in Sichuan province lined up to predict World Cup scores have been given the red card by the authorities hours before kick-off. State media had earlier reported the animals at a giant panda research centre would be picking winners during the soccer tournament in Brazil over the coming weeks. Watch: A Baby Panda Will Predict the 2014 World Cup Winner -- Jimmy Fallon Monologue One of the methods suggested was to mark bowls with the flags of the countries taking part in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1531122/plan-use-pandas-forecast-world-cup-winners-cancelled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1531122/plan-use-pandas-forecast-world-cup-winners-cancelled?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jun 2014 21:15:15 +0000