Chinese politician Bo Xilai goes on trial for abuse of power

Ousted politician Bo Xilai recanted a confession of bribery when prosecutors alleged he used his wife and son to help collect more than €2.9m in illicit funds as he stood trial in China’s biggest political scandal in decades.

Court officials released frequent microblog updates on the testimony in an unusual display of openness for a major political trial, suggesting that ruling Communist Party officials were confident of minimising damage from a scandal that exposed a murder and high-level infighting among China’s elite.