In only the second peaceful transition since the Communist Party took power, the 59-year-old becomes China's Premier for the next 10 years

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.

Li Keqiang, set to become China's premier in March, said the nation must deepen its rural-urban population shift to support growth while avoiding the economic stagnation associated with middle-income countries.

The ruling Communist elite has endorsed the expulsion of the disgraced politician Bo Xilai and approved final preparations for the party's forthcoming Congress.

Disgraced Chinese Politburo member Bo Xilai has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and will face criminal charges, state media has reported.

Wang Lijun, the police chief who triggered China's worst political scandal for two decades when he sought sanctuary at the US consulate in Chengdu with revelations about his ally and mentor Bo Xilai, will be charged with treason as early as next month.

Sudan continued with its aerial bombardment of South Sudan yesterday, dropping eight bombs overnight as South Sudan's President said the attacks amounted to a declaration of war by the North.

A Tibetan exile, whose self-immolation in Delhi on Monday was caught in harrowing photographs, died yesterday.

A Tibetan man set himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in New Delhi yesterday – the latest in a series of self-immolation protests against Chinese rule in Tibet.

China's annual legislative session opens today amid a challenging leadership transition and a day after the country unveiled the latest in string of boosts to defence spending.

Xi Jinping seeks to boost relations with 'important high-level interaction' as he flies to Washington

China's Communist Party celebrated its 90th birthday yesterday with propagandist songs, Chairman Mao-themed events and a stern warning from President Hu Jintao that the economy must keep growing for it to retain its grip on power.

A plane carrying Sudan's President to China was forced to turn back yesterday over Turkmenistan, delaying the scheduled visit of Omar al-Bashir, who has an outstanding international arrest warrant against him on war crimes charges.