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.

The ex-police chief at the centre of China's worst political scandal in decades has gone on trial in a closed hearing involving state secrets.

A former police chief linked to a disgraced leader at the centre of China’s biggest political scandal in decades will stand trial on Tuesday on charges that include defection and bribery.

China sentenced the wife of fallen Politburo member Bo Xilai to death yesterday but suspended her execution — setting the stage for a possible final purge of Bo himself in a scandal that has shaken Beijing ahead of a leadership transition.

The wife of a senior Communist Party official in China is being held over the murder of a British businessman, state media has reported.

Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has warned the ruinous turmoil that engulfed the country in the past could re-emerge unless it tackles political reforms.