China-US expert expresses optimism about prospects for future relationship

John Milligan-Whyte, chairman of the Center for America-China Partnership in New York, was dubbed by some Chinese media as the "new Edgar Snow" and the "21st century Kissinger" due to the positive role he played in boosting the relationship between China and the United States.

Wang family's lion dance tradition roars on

Two brightly colored lions prance in, blinking their formidable eyes and deftly hopping onto poles to the lively beating of drums and ringing of bells.

Oroqen elder's classes preserve ethnic language

Every Saturday and Sunday morning for the past three months, Wu Xiaodong has waited for her students at the ethnic primary school in Xunke county, Heihe, in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province.

ASEAN mulls plan to tackle plastics waste

Ten Southeast Asian nations are working on strategic planning and joint action against marine litter and pollution in line with their long-term environmental blueprint.

Merkel to affirm global system in Japan

Berlin and Tokyo will move closer to defend the "multilateral order", on which the two big exporters' fortunes rest when German Chancellor Angela Merkel kicks off her two-day visit to Japan on Monday, observers said.

Lawyers weigh H-1B visa changes

Changes announced to the H-1B work visa program will benefit graduates with master's degrees and keep highly skilled foreign workers in the United States, some immigration lawyers said.

IN BRIEF (Page 7)

UK a nation of young musicians, survey says

The United Kingdom is undergoing a resurgence in music-making among young people after a new survey revealed that more than two-thirds of British children are active musicians, a big rise compared to a decade ago, and especially among those from lower-income backgrounds.

Arctic cold takes hold of much of US

One of the coldest air masses in decades kept its icy grip on the US Midwest on Wednesday, breaking temperature records, causing several deaths and forcing hundreds of schools and businesses to close.

End of an era for artsy Philippine 'jeepney' bus

MANILA - Bernardo de la Cruz casts his eyes around the nearly silent workshop where he used to toil overtime hand-painting custom decor on jeepneys, the singularly Philippine minibuses facing the scrap heap.

Huawei gets support from UK universities

Several universities in the United Kingdom are standing by Chinese tech giant Huawei despite doubts raised by other Western bodies, including the United Nations and NATO over security concerns.

Scientists find early, unknown hominid

PARIS - A rare species of primitive human roamed the forests of Eurasia 200,000 years ago and may have made tools and even jewelry, according to a new research published on Wednesday.