Few writers have appeared on the American literary scene to such sudden acclaim as the Chinese émigré Ha Jin. His first short-story collection about life in the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Ocean of Words (1996), won the Hemingway/PEN...

Ha Jin has published volumes of poetry, collections of short stories, and novels. His short fiction in Ocean of Words: Army Stories (1996) and Under the Red Flag (1997) won praise from critics and two prestigious literary prizes, the PEN/Hemingway and Fl...

In most states, kindergarten attendance is optional. Most school districts are required by law to offer a kindergarten program for interested parents. Districts vary on when they begin taking sign-ups for kindergarten. Most begin pre-registration in early spring for the following fall. The number of...

Prosecutors said Thursday they are investigating allegations that workers at a central Russian hospital taped infants' mouths shut to keep them from crying, in a scandal that has sparked widespread outrage.In a second incident, prosecutors in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk said they had...

Prosecutors said Thursday they are investigating allegations that workers at a central Russian hospital taped infants' mouths shut to keep them from crying, in a scandal that has sparked widespread outrage.In a second incident, prosecutors in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk said they had...

Prosecutors said Thursday they are investigating allegations that workers at a Russian hospital taped infants' mouths shut in order keep them from crying, in a scandal that has sparked outrage in the country.In a separate incident raising further concern at the ailing state of Russia's...