The trial of an ex-police chief at the centre of a divisive political scandal in China has ended, bringing the country's leadership closer to resolving a case that exposed infighting and hit plans for a transfer of power to new leaders.

The trial for an ex-police chief at the centre of China’s worst political scandal in decades opened with an unexpected closed-door hearing yesterday, a day earlier than publicly announced.

A home appliance dealer who once was China’s richest businessman was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of insider trading and other offences.

A Shanghai court has put on trial six people accused of making an unlicensed version of the anti-bird flu drug Tamiflu, newspapers and the court announced today.