China moves to stem mass layoffs
Chinese companies are told they need permission to fire more than 40 workers, in a sign of worry over rising unemployment.
Kim ‘makes new public appearance’
North Korea says reclusive leader Kim Jong-il has made another public appearance, amid speculation that he has been ill.
Chinese ‘living longer than ever’
The lives of China’s people have vastly improved in the last 30 years but the gap between rich and poor is growing, the UN says.