Senior general probed in bribery

Fang Fenghui, one of the military's highest-ranking officers, has been placed under investigation by prosecutors, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Fang, a general and former chief of the Central Military Commission's Joint Staff Department, has been handed over to military prosecutors for suspected crimes of offering and taking bribes, the report said, without more details.

This announcement ended wide speculation about Fang's whereabouts since Aug 21 when he appeared in public for the last time. Five days later, the military said General Li Zuocheng had replaced Fang as PLA chief of staff.