China says disgraced leader Bo Xilai expelled from Communist Party

BEIJING -- China says disgraced Politburo member Bo Xilai has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and will face criminal charges, and that the party congress to select new leaders will be held Nov. 8.

State media said Friday that Bo Xilai, who had been a candidate for top office until caught up in a scandal that included a murder, will face charges for corruption, abuse of power, bribe taking and improper relations with a number of women.

Dates for the congress, held once every five years, were overdue and highly anticipated because it will see Hu Jintao step down after 10 years as party boss -- and China's ultimate leader -- to be replaced by Xi Jinping.

The Bo scandal, China's biggest in decades, has overshadowed preparations for the congress.

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  Wang Lijun sits in the Intermediate People's Court during his trial in Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan province when the Chinese police chief whose thwarted defection exposed murder of a Briton by his boss Bo Xilai's wife and infighting in high places was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Sept. 24, 2012. (CCTV via AP video)