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Writer Feng Jicai explains the Chinese Lunar New Year

For many Western readers, the Chinese Spring Festival may appear as little more than red lanterns, fireworks and family gatherings. Yet within Chinese culture it is in fact the Chinese New Year — the beginning of a new cycle of time, a cultural river flowing unbroken for

Iraq's Maliki defends PM candidacy, seeks to reassure US

The leading candidate to become Iraq's next prime minister, former premier Nouri al-Maliki, told AFP on Monday that he will not withdraw his nomination after pressure from the US, while also seeking to allay Washington's concerns. Since the US-led invasion that overthrew former

Seabird conservation starts upstream, scientists say

New research from Monash University, in collaboration with Phillip Island Nature Parks, has found conclusive evidence that rivers are vital drivers of food and habitat for seabirds around the world. The research, published in Biological Reviews, examined 51 scientific studies