Bo Xilai, the former party secretary of Chongqing and presumed candidate for the Politburo Standing Committee, has been suspended from his posts on the Politburo and Central Committee, Reuters reported, citing state media. “Comrade Bo Xilai is suspected of being involved in serious disciplinary violations,” said Xinhua on the decision to remove Bo. The news agency said that Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, and a household assistant, Zhang Xiaojun, were “highly suspected” in the possible murder of British citizen Neil Heywood, for reasons involving “economic interests.” “Police set up a team to reinvestigate the case of the British national Neil Heywood who was found dead in Chongqing,” Xinhua added. Gu and Zhang are currently being detained. Separately, Xinhua reported that three of China’s biggest internet companies said they will take action to dampen online rumors on their services. Speculation on Bo’s fate has spread on Twitter-like Weibo services since his removal as Chongqing party secretary.
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