China Embraces Year of the Dragon

中国迎接龙年

China has rung in the Year of the Dragon with its traditional luster...

The stroke of midnight here in Beijing has been met with the traditional celebration of fireworks and family.

"I'm so happy to see in the New Year this way. It's so much fun to set off fireworks with friends and family. I feel so happy to see the explosions, and I don't have a care in the world."

"Each year we buy around 70,000 to 80,000 yuan's worth of fireworks. Every year, New Year's Eve cancels out all the bad luck and negative things from last year, and it lifts all of our spirits. It's really fun."

Traditionally, fireworks are believed to have been first set off to scare off a man-eating monster.

They have since become an indispensable feature of the nationwide celebrations.

In China, the Lunar New Year is known as the "Spring Festival," or 春节in Mandarin.

The celebrations will continue until the 15th day of the Lunar New Year on February 6th.

Expressway toll exemptions extended in regions as millions of Chinese hit the road

The authorities in 8 provinces have decided to shut down the toll boths on the expressways to try to reduce the traffic flows over the Spring Festival.

The tolls will be started again in a couple of days.

The tolls are still being enforced on the expressways in Beijing and Tianjin.

It's estimated that around 80-million people have been traveling the roads the past two days in their attempt to reunite with their families for the Lunar New Year.

Man dies of bird flu in southwest

A 39-year-old man has died of bird flu in southwest China.

He died last night in hospital in Guizhou's capital Guiyang after three days of intensive care.

The victim came down with a fever on January 6th.

So far the 71 people who were in close contact with the man have not shown unusual symptoms.

This is the 2nd death from avian influenza so far this year in China.

Arab League observer's mission in Syria is extended for an extra month

叙利亚阿拉伯联盟观察家任务延期一个月

The Arab League has decided to extend its observer mission in Syria for another month.

The League has also decided to add more observers, on top of giving them additional resources.

The AL is also calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to appoint his first Vice-President to form a national unity government.

Saudi Arabia, meantime, has decided to pull its observers out of the country.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal.

"My country will pull out its observers because the Syrian government have failed to comply with the Arab proposal that could stop the bloodshed of the Syrian people."

The UN estimates some 54-hundred people have been killed since the uprising against the Syrian government began in March.

The Syrian side estimates that around 2-thousand of its security forces are among the dead.

Yemen's outgoing president heads to U.S. for medical treatment: official

也门即将卸任总统赴美接受治疗

Yemen's outgoing President has been cleared, and is on his way to the United States for medical treatment.

Ali Abdullah Saleh will spend a few days in Oman before heading to the US.

The departure of Saleh came just a few hours after he delivered a live speech on state television, and in a conciliatory tone, told the audience that he asks for forgiveness for his mistakes.

Saleh's trip comes one day after the Yemeni parliament passed a law, granting Saleh complete immunity, on top of protecting his aides from political motivated cases.

Deputy head of Libya's ruling council announces resignation

利比亚二号人物决定辞职

The Deputy Head of Libya's National Transitional Council is resigning amid mass protests against him.

Abdel Hafiz Ghoga has told Al-Jazeera that he is quitting for national interests.

Ghoga's departure comes following mass demonstrations against him in Benghazi, where protesters stormed and looted the offices of the NTC.

The protests against Ghoga come amid of weeks of pent up frustration against the ruling National Transitional Council, which is increasingly being criticized within Libya for not being transparent enough.

Ghoga himself, a former Ghaddafi loyalist, is being accused of being an opportunist.

U.S. Congresswoman to resign, focus on recovery

美国国会女议员辞职,专注于恢复

U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has decided to step down from Congress.

The Arizona Congresswoman says she is quitting to focus on her recovery.

Giffords was shot in the head during a shooting rampage while she was at a public event in her congressional district of Tuscon where 6 people were killed and 13 others hurt.

Despite being shot in the head, Giffords has managed to learn to walk and talk again.

Arizona's governor is calling a special election to fill the Democrat's seat in Congress.