Two ethnic Tibetans have been given harsh sentences after they were convicted of murder for "goading" people to set themselves on fire, in a signal that Beijing has no plans to ease the pressure on Tibet.

When China's ruling elite gather for their annual parliament in March, incoming President Xi Jinping has insisted there will be no display of extravagance further to raise hackles about official corruption. No booze, no banquets and no boring speeches.

Sixteen of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China. Now, after years of denials, officials admit they have a problem with smog - rather than 'fog'

Growth in online gaming prompts government to reassess rules designed to protect children

They do love the Premier League in China, and many an English side has made its way eastwards during the summer to grow market share for their merchandise and give Asian fans a glimpse of their team in action at the same time.

Choking smog blamed on pursuit of economic growth

The smog in Beijing last weekend was the worst on record. The city looked like it was in a sandstorm, like the inside of a smoker's lung, as one Beijinger put it, shaking his head.

Ask people born in China since the introduction of the one-child policy in 1979, and they often say the hardest thing about being an only child is the loneliness. “There is nobody to share with. Kids the same age understand each other. Like ghost stories, that kind of thing,” said Gong Xue, 29, from Chengdu.

Editors of the state-controlled Chinese newspaper Southern Weekend have demanded an end to advanced censorship of the publication by Communist Party officials.

Journalists at a state-controlled newspaper in China have staged a strike in protest against government censorship – the first public demonstration of its kind in more than two decades.