As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explained that the Obama administration is taking an approach of "principled pragmatism" in dealing with human rights issues in China and elsewhere, the Chinese government has rejected calls from the EU and the U.S.

The frozen Songhua River in Harbin, by Jonas in China

Below, a 1975 documentary on barefoot doctors. From the video's introduction (H/T China Study Group): Before the establishment of the People's Republic [of China], medical services were almost nonexistent here, as in most agricultural areas throughout China. Malnutrition and epidemics

Bloomberg profiles Xie Zhenhua, former head of China's state environmental protection agency and now the country's chief negotiator in Copenhagen:Xie, who resigned after an explosion at a PetroChina Co. plant spilled toxic chemicals into the Songhua River, is now in

The Times visits activist Feng Zhenghu, who has been living at Narita Airport in Tokyo for six weeks after being denied entry to China:Mr Feng is a dissident, an economist and self-taught lawyer who made a name for himself in

Similar demands in other parts of the country have led to a fresh debate on the issue of governance and regional identity for the huge country.

Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed to meet with three high-ranking elderly members of her political party outside her home.

ArmInfo. Everybody must know that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh was forced to protect its right to freedom in an imposed bloody war and that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh believes that, on the one hand, it has managed to restore the

ArmInfo. Azerbaijani MPs have expressed protest against U.S. Congress assistance to Nagorno Karabakh."Special discussions on U.S. Congress assistance to Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh should be held at the Parliament and we must address to the Congress," Trend News quotes

ArmInfo. A tourism center will operate in Khosrov reserve. Head of World Wildlife Fund-Armenia (WWF-Armenia) Karen Manvelyan told ArmInfo correspondent that it is envisaged to open the center in the central section of Khosroc reserve. "Here tourists will be able

ArmInfo. The Committee on Lake Sevan met in Yerevan today.The press service of the President of Armenia reports that the head of the presidential staff Karen Karapetyan also took part in the meeting.Chairman of the committee Vladimir Movsissyan reported on

ArmInfo. CSTO obliged under the alliance treaty with Armenia to render military assistance to our country in case of military aggression, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan says in an interview with Yerevan-based Azg newspaper."This is the response to the question

ArmInfo. Today, the maximum buying rates at commercial banks of Yerevan were 380 drams for 1 dollar, 554 drams for 1 EUR and 12,5 drams for 1 Russian ruble. The minimum selling rates stood at 381,5 drams for 1 dollar,

ArmInfo. Two cases of 'swine' flu death have been registered in Armenia.As press-service of Armenian Health Ministry told ArmInfo, one of the victims of the H1N1 flu is a young pregnant woman, which was taken to the 'Erebuni' hospital from

State Department officials said that the letter was delivered last week by the administation's special envoy on North Korea.

Authorities said Wednesday the blast hit the policemen's car in Rubat-i-Sangin district of Herat province.

The U.S. State Department Tuesday again called on China to immediately release dissident figure Liu Xiaobo, a writer detained a year ago after joining others in signing a pro-democracy declaration.

Houseboat business dating from the days of the British Raj important economic contributor to Himalayan region

Experts have told a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee the Obama administration places a high priority on building partnerships with Central Asian countries, and not only because of the strategic role they play in logistics for the U.S. war in Afghanistan,

Israel has condemned an arrest warrant briefly issued in Britain against former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for alleged war crimes.