Top Chinese official faces death penalty

A court in Beijing has sentenced one of China's top officials to death for corruption.

He's Cheng Kejie, who until recently was a vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese parliament, the National People's Congress.

Mr Cheng was accused of accepting almost five-million dollars worth of bribes during his time as the regional leader in the south-western province of Guangxi in the 1990's.

He is the most senior official to be sentenced to death in the current anti-corruption campaign.

A BBC correspondent in Beijing says corruption in China is giving rise to widespread disaffection with the Communist Party among ordinary people, while Chinese leaders have described the problem as a virus that could destroy the party.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service