Huge fire in US after oil train derails

A train carrying more than 100 tankers of crude oil derailed in southern West Virginia on Monday, sending at least one tanker into the Kanawha River, igniting at least 14 and sparking a house fire, officials said.

Women amputees stepping out of shadow

When Yoko Sato lost her left leg in an accident, she fell into despair. The stigma of amputation in a country that views disability as something to be pitied added to her misery.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Best wishes to all for the Year of the Ram

With national leaders crisscrossing communities and extending their pre-holiday greetings, and millions hitting the road and braving the crowds for family reunions at Lunar New Year's Eve dinner tables, China is officially in festive mode.

Calls for fewer fireworks

For the sake of a cleaner environment and atmosphere, people should not set off fireworks during the forthcoming Spring Festival holiday, especially in densely populated cities, says a People's Daily article.

ROK documentary will help world to view China rationally and objectively

FROM JAN 15 TO 24, KBS, a leading broadcaster in the Republic of Korea, aired a documentary series, Super China, which gave detailed information on seven aspects of China, and invited international scholars to review the changes it has brought about to the world. The documentary became very popular. Comments:

Luxury market changes with anti-graft tide

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL LAST WEEK said that the ongoing anti-graft storm may have curbed rich Chinese customers from purchasing luxurious handbags and coats, but many of them have turned to luxurious underwear instead, which is easier to hide. Sales of high-end underwear have been growing since 2012, and they accounted for 30 percent of the underwear market last year. Comments:

Festival visits an excuse for family rows

A NEWLY WEDDED couple in Jinzhai county, Anhui province, reportedly reached the brink of divorce because the husband and wife disagreed about whose family they should visit to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year. Comments:

Hot Words

At a recent meeting of ministerial and provincial-level officials on promoting the rule of law, President Xi Jinping stressed that the Party's leaders and senior officials are "the key few" running State affairs in line with the law. The country's leaders and senior officials should set a good example and abide by the law and resolutely correct any behavior that is against the law.

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Welcome new year with new resolve

Everyone who has come into contact with China must probably be musing about the Spring Festival now, because it is that time of the year when more than 1 billion trips are made across the country for family reunions. Many foreigners living and working in China celebrate two "New Years" - one on Jan 1 and the other either later that month or in February.

An issue beyond firecrackers and cleaners

A photograph of two elderly street cleaners holding a heart-shaped card with a message that appeals to young people to set off fewer firecrackers so that they could return home earlier to celebrate the Spring Festival has gone viral on Chinese social media. Like some other online hot topics, the cleaner-couple's plea has drawn netizens into a debate on social issues.