London marks Chinese New Year in style

    LONDON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The first day of the Chinese Year of the Pig was celebrated in spectacular style in London when parade and festival transforms Chinatown, central London's Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square on Sunday.

    The grand gala went into climax when about 200,000 people chanted "Gongxifacai" one of the most frequently used Chinese New Year greeting meaning "wishing you wealthy and good luck" at the Trafalgar Square.

Malaysian PM wishes Chinese Malaysians happy new year

    KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Sunday attended the Chinese Lunar New Year open house hosted by the largest ethnic Chinese political party in this country.

Ethnic Chinese celebrate new year throughout Indonesia

    JAKARTA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Ethnic Chinese communities throughout Indonesia celebrated Chinese New Year on Sunday by visiting temples for praying to their ancestors and gods.

Chinese in California celebrate Lunar New Year

    LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese communities in Southern California celebrated Lunar New Year on Saturday, ushering in the year of the pig.

French president extends New Year greetings to Chinese

    PARIS, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- French President Jacques Chirac on Friday wished the Chinese people living in France and Europe a happy New Year, and commended the development of friendly relations between France and China.