China's foreign ministry has accused the American and German embassies of interfering in its affairs after they objected to the prosecutions of an activist and a lawyer who handled sensitive cases.

China has rejected a call from a United Nations rights watchdog to halt torture of detainees, saying the group’s recommendations were based on unverified information and that it should “improve its work style.”

A Chinese woman has gone on trial for running a brothel in Dublin city centre.

Harry Potter mania reached its climax as stores across Ireland opened at midnight to cope with the huge demand for the final instalment of JK Rowling's fictional series.

A former construction worker who killed 14 women over the past three years in Beijing has been sentenced to death, state media in China said today.