IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Sudanese Jews recall lost world

Lily Ben-David gets emotional when she talks about her childhood in Sudan. She still dreams of her school, the courtyard, the balcony and frolicking on the banks of the Blue Nile, even though it has been more than 50 years since she saw any of it.

Australia PM says no to national day date change

The date of Australia's national day should not be changed, the prime minister said Thursday, as thousands of protesters marred celebrations on the day that commemorates the arrival of the country's first British colonists in Sydney Harbor on Jan 26, 1788.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Battling the scourge of depression

Mo Qing (not his real name), a 30-year-old university teacher in Zunyi, Guizhou province in southwest China, was diagnosed as being clinically depressed 10 years ago, but his life has frequently been subject to bouts of despondency and dejection.

I never felt as though I had a mother

Mo Qing (not his real name), a 30-year-old university teacher who has severe depression

Deaf professor carries smiles across the Pacific

An educator who became the first deaf person to receive a PhD from a Chinese university has broken new ground with her volunteer work abroad.

An ever-changing Spring Festival tradition

As she admired her tableware collection, Gao Shumei picked up one of the bowls and traced her fingers over the Chinese character fu, meaning good fortune, which was printed upon it.

Around China

Guizhou

Gender roles changing as girls outperform boys

Recently, Little Men, China's first textbook focusing on the mental health of primary school-age boys was introduced. The book sparked nationwide discussions as critics argued that certain qualities, such as perseverance and independence, should not be regarded as solely male attributes.

We need more male teachers

Gu Huanghua, a 32-year-old male math teacher at a primary school in the Fengxian district of Shanghai

Differences in approach overseas

In Australia, many primary and high schools are single sex, and they promote different qualities for boys and girls. For example, some of the key areas for boys include intensifying the study of literacy and helping them to remain focused.