A court has dismissed ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai’s appeal against his conviction and life sentence for corruption and abuse of power in one of the country’s most politically-charged trials in decades.

A Chinese court has convicted fallen politician Bo Xilai of corruption and sentenced him to life in prison, capping one of the country’s most lurid political scandals in decades.

A former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a “third country” because a US extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory’s government said today.

When Steve Chan came down with a fever and chills, he thought it was a flu he could recover from in a few days. The initial symptoms weren’t even very bad.