France logs 24,392 new COVID-19 cases in one day

PARIS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in France increased by 24,392, while another 242 people have died in the past 24 hours, according to figures released by health authorities on Saturday. Read full story
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Colombia reports case of COVID-19 variant detected in Brazil

BOGOTA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Colombian Ministry of Health confirmed on Saturday that a new variant of the novel coronavirus discovered in Brazil is already circulating in the country. Read full story
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Relive the punishing, addictive gameplay of the 90s in ‘Cyber Shadow’

Ready for some retro? Platformer Cyber Shadow brings the aesthetics and rage-quit inducing difficulties of 80's gaming to modern consoles. Read full story
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Health Ministry completes dry run of Covid-19 vaccination delivery method

KUCHING: The Health Ministry has completed a dry run of its Covid-19 vaccination delivery mechanism, transporting bottles of a saline solution to rural Sarawak to test the logistics and feasibility of the Pfizer vaccine supply chain. Read full story
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Increase monitoring of virus variant, says expert

PETALING JAYA: Based on the recent sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Lam Sai Kit suspects it may be caused by the different Covid-19 variants already in the country. Read full story
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Ismail Sabri: Conditions for entry applicable to foreigners only

PUTRAJAYA: The management of condominiums and apartments can request foreign tenants undergo swab tests but not local residents, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Read full story
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Using social media could help seniors feel less isolated but how it’s used matters

Optimising the use of social media could be beneficial to the mental health of older adults, while helping them feel less isolated. Read full story
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More than half the world’s population uses social media

More than half of the world’s population is now active on social media, or around 4.2 billion people. Read full story
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PM thanks Hindus for complying with SOP

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) extended Thai­pusam greetings to all Malaysian Hindus and said he hoped the celebrations this year would continue to foster unity and preserve the country’s harmony and prosperity. Read full story
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Reopen public parks, urges Zuraida

PETALING JAYA: All public recreational parks should be opened to enable people to exercise but with strict adherence to the SOP, says the Housing and Local Government Minister. Read full story
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Malaysia ranked 29th for number of Covid-19 cases worldwide

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is currently in the 29th spot in the list of countries with the highest number of Covid-19 infections in a two-week period as at Jan 25, according to data from the US-based Johns Hopkins University. Read full story
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Adham Baba: First-ever vaccine trial study crucial to health science

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s first-ever Covid-19 vaccine trial has kicked off in nine of the country’s hospitals, with 3,000 volunteers taking part in the national study. Read full story
http://dlvr.it/RrWHPf

Expert assurance on vaccines

PETALING JAYA: More data about Covid-19 vaccines will be made available by the time most Malaysians get the vaccine, says one of Malaysia’s top infectious disease experts, Datuk Dr Christopher Lee. Read full story
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CNY to get fine-tuned SOP

PETALING JAYA: General standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Chinese New Year have been drawn up, but these will likely be tweaked to take into account varying conditions on the ground, says Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri. Read full story
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Stepping up when it counts

PETALING JAYA: After a cry for help from the National Blood Centre about a critical level of blood supply, Malaysians came out in droves during the last weekend to donate blood. Read full story
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1st LD Writethru: Canada's COVID-19 cases surpass 750,000

OTTAWA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday that the government is looking seriously at tougher travel measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including mandatory hotel quarantines for air travelers returning from non-essential trips abroad. Read full story
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Merkel, Biden agree in phone call to strengthen transatlantic cooperation

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed in a phone call on Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic and other global challenges can only be tackled through closer cooperation, a government spokesman in Berlin said on Monday. Read full story
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Revamped White House website features hidden message for coders

It seems that the White House has a few tricks up its sleeve – or rather, on its website. Read full story
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Chile reports nearly 700,000 cases of COVID-19

SANTIAGO, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chile reported 4,498 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, for a total of 699,110 cases, as well as 79 more deaths, bringing the death toll to 17,933, reported the Ministry of Health. Read full story
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'Get out Bolsonaro!' say ex-supporters in Brazil as COVID-19, vaccines weigh

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Meggy Fernandes voted for Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil's 2018 presidential election, attracted by the far-right former army captain's promise to shake up a hidebound political establishment mired in endless graft scandals. Read full story
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France confirms 18,436 new COVID-19 cases

PARIS, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- France on Sunday registered 18,436 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, pushing the total count to 3,053,617, while prospect rises for a third nationwide confinement to curb the spread of more infectious new variants. Read full story
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Finally in the dock after 18 years

IT has taken more than 18 years but finally Indonesian terrorist Riduan Isamuddin @ Hambali and his two Malaysian lieutenants – Mohammed Farik Amin and Mohammed Nazir Lep – will be formally charged for their terror acts. Read full story
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So many unknowns about Hambali’s Malaysian cohorts

PETALING JAYA: The two Malaysians charged with terrorism offences in the United States alongside Indonesian Hambali had been to Afghanistan where they met then al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Read full story
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Transfer of judge a routine matter, say experts

KUALA LUMPUR: The transfer of Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who presided over the SRC International Sdn Bhd trial, out of a criminal court is to replace a judge retiring from a civil court. Read full story
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FAO head calls for efforts to strengthen world food systems

ROME, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The director-general of the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Friday said the coronavirus pandemic has illustrated the need for the world to strengthen agriculture and food systems. Read full story
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Boeing to deliver commercial airplanes on sustainable fuels by 2030

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Boeing announced on Friday that the company is setting a target to advance the long-term sustainability of commercial aviation, committing that its commercial airplanes will be capable and certified to fly on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuels by 2030. Read full story
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Belgium to ban non-essential travel starting from Jan. 27

BRUSSELS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Belgium will start to ban non-essential travel from or to the country starting on Jan. 27, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced Friday. Read full story
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M’sia on right path for economic recovery, says Zafrul

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has the right formula to get on the recovery path in terms of both public health and the economy, says Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. Read full story
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‘Hotpot’ Datuk pleads guilty

PETALING JAYA: The Datuk who was caught on video slapping a young couple at a hotpot restaurant is in hot soup. Read full story
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MCO extended to Feb 4 for all states except S’wak

PUTRAJAYA: The movement control order for Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Kelantan, Sabah and three Federal Territories have been extended to Feb 4 following a significant number of Covid-19 cases recorded over the past 14 days. Read full story
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Biden urged to protect consumers from tech giants

As Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as US president, digital rights groups are calling on him and legislators to curb the power of tech firms and guard consumers’ online privacy. Read full story
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US president Biden posts first tweet as @POTUS: ‘There is no time to waste’

US president Biden, less than an hour after his swearing in, posted his first official tweet from the @POTUS account after Twitter transferred it from Trump’s control. Read full story
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Trump’s pardon blitz keeps ex-Google exec out of prison

A long-running Silicon Valley soap opera took an unexpected twist on Jan 20 after outgoing President Donald Trump pardoned a former Google engineer for stealing self-driving car secrets shortly before joining Uber. Read full story
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U.S. Texas to distribute largest COVID-19 vaccine this week: governor

HOUSTON, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. state of Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Tuesday that the largest shipment of COVID-19 vaccine so far is set to be distributed this week. Read full story
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Study: Parler users were more likely veterans or in military

The now-silenced Parler app that appeared to have played a key role in mobilising the Trump-inspired mob that attacked the US Capitol on Jan 6 had a greater share of users who are either veterans or in the US military compared with other social media platforms. Read full story
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Suspected Russian hackers targeted cyber firm Malwarebytes

Suspected Russian hackers targeted the cybersecurity company Malwarebytes Inc in the course of a sprawling cyberattack that targeted US government agencies and companies. Read full story
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Wee: Permai will help industry players during pandemic

PETALING JAYA: The government’s RM15bil “Perlindungan Ekonomi dan Rakyat Malaysia (Permai)” assistance package has been welcomed by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic), who said that it can help assist Malaysians and industry players to weather through the Covid-19 pandemic. Read full story
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‘Stop quarry activities at Tg Batu’

IPOH: Environmental activist group Aktivis Sahabat Alam (Kuasa) is urging the state government to stop all quarry activities around the Tanjung Batu waterfall area in Segari, Manjung. Read full story
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DAP sacks Malim Nawar rep with immediate effect

IPOH: DAP’s Malim Nawar assemblyman Leong Cheok Keng has been sacked from the party with immediate effect. Read full story
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COVID-19 death toll surpasses 4,000 in Israel

JERUSALEM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 death cases in Israel has reached 4,005, the state's Ministry of Health said on Sunday night. Read full story
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"Are you detaining me?" Navalny flies home, and straight into trouble

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Pobeda flight DP936 was a few minutes into its descent towards Moscow's Vnukovo airport, where thousands of supporters of poisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny were waiting to meet him on his return to Russia, when the flight captain said he could not land as planned. Read full story
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Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Jan. 17

KHARTOUM -- The death toll from the armed militias' attack in El Geneina, capital city of Sudan's West Darfur State, jumped to 83, and the injured to 160, at a time when the Sudanese authorities decided to send security reinforcements to the area. Read full story
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Reeling again from COVID-19, Amazonas gets respirators, oxygen from Brazil Air Force and Venezuela

MANAUS/BRASILIA (Reuters) - The Brazilian jungle state of Amazonas received more emergency supplies of oxygen and respirators on Saturday, as the military and neighboring Venezuela scrambled to alleviate an unfolding humanitarian crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Read full story
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Selena Gomez: Big Tech ‘cashing in from evil’

Hours after an angry mob of Trump supporters took control of the US Capitol in a violent insurrection, Selena Gomez laid much of the blame at the feet of Big Tech. Read full story
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Selfie-snapping rioters leave FBI a trail of over 140,000 images

The FBI arrested one man after a co-worker at a western Maryland restaurant reported seeing him in images of people assaulting the US Capitol. A Texas man was charged after his ex-wife recognised him in a social-media video and called authorities, noting that it was a good picture. Read full story
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Brazil reports more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths for fourth consecutive day

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil had 69,198 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 1,151 deaths from COVID-19, the fourth consecutive day with more than 1,000 fatalities, the Health Ministry said on Friday. Read full story
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Latvia's welfare ministry slammed for COVID-19 infections, deaths in nursing homes

RIGA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian Welfare Ministry has been taken to task over inaction that has resulted in dozens of COVID-19 deaths in the Baltic country's long-term care facilities. Read full story
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Vaccine shortages arise across U.S., halting inoculations in some places

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Scattered vaccine shortages cropped up on the frontlines of the U.S. battle against the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, prompting at least one large New York healthcare system to cancel a slew of appointments of people hoping to be inoculated. Read full story
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FBI tracking ‘extensive’ online chatter about armed protests

The FBI is tracking an “extensive amount of concerning online chatter”, including calls for armed protests leading up to next week’s presidential inauguration, Director Chris Wray said on Jan 14. Read full story
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Trump wanted ‘Person X’ Parler handle in October

US President Donald Trump considered signing onto the Twitter alternative Parler, using the pseudonym “Person X”, before the conservative social media platform was shut down, according to its chief executive officer. Read full story
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Japan's Hiroshima to conduct large-scale PCR tests to battle COVID-19

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Hiroshima prefecture said on Friday it will carry out large-scale polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to curb the spread of coronavirus, a rarity in a nation that lags far behind many other countries in the number of tests conducted. Read full story
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SolarWinds hack followed years of warnings of weak cybersecurity

US Congress and federal agencies have been slow or unwilling to address warnings about cybersecurity, shelving recommendations that are considered high priority while investing in programs that have fallen short. Read full story
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Bothered by the background noise of Zoom calls? Here’s how to block it out

Teachers on Zoom calls with students ages five to eight who are at home or in daycare might find this a familiar bugbear: the sounds of other children, siblings, parents and barking dogs. Read full story
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Tech giants hope for US data privacy law

Google, Twitter and Amazon are hopeful that Joe Biden’s incoming administration in the United States will enact a federal digital data law, senior company officials said at CES, the annual electronics and technology show. Read full story
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There will be an election, Muhyiddin promises

PETALING JAYA: The general election will be held once the country is out of the woods from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister has given his commitment. Read full story
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PM: It’s not a military coup

PETALING JAYA: The general election will be held once the country is out of the woods from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister has given his commitment. Read full story
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Proactive measures preferred to handouts, say economists

PETALING JAYA: It is proactive measures and not subsidies that will stimulate the economy as the recovery of the economy is already waning, say economists. Read full story
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Gorillas at U.S. San Diego zoo test positive for COVID-19

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Several gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California, the United States, have tested positive for COVID-19, in the first known instance of natural transmission to great apes, zoo officials said on Monday. Read full story
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Tunisia reports 3,074 new COVID-19 cases

TUNIS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Ministry of Health reported 3,074 new infections by COVID-19 and 69 additional deaths during the past 24 hours. Read full story
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Ecuador's health system nearly stretched to limit due to COVID-19: gov't

QUITO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's public health system is nearly stretched to the limit by the sustained rise in novel coronavirus infections, Health Minister Juan Carlos Zevallos said on Monday, as the country surpassed 221,500 cases and 9,600 deaths from the disease. Read full story
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Cuba reports record number of daily cases of COVID-19

HAVANA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Cuba reported three more deaths and a record 388 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) reported on Sunday. Read full story
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Tunisia reports 1,762 new COVID-19 cases, 159,276 in total

TUNIS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Tunisian Health Ministry on Sunday reported 1,762 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 159,276. Read full story
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Chile closes week with highest numbers of daily COVID-19 cases in six months

SANTIAGO, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Over the past week, Chile has recorded the highest numbers of new daily cases of COVID-19 in the last six months, with more than 4,000 cases registered for the third consecutive day, bringing the total number of cases to 641,923, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday. Read full story
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Roundup: U.S. equities post weekly gains in kicking off 2021

NEW YORK, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Wall Street's major averages advanced in the first trading week of the new year as investors shrugged off the turmoil in Washington and a weaker-than-expected December U.S. employment report. Read full story
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Tunisia reports 2,611 new COVID-19 cases

TUNIS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Health Ministry reported 2,611 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the total number of infections to 157,514. Read full story
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Proof of residence, citizenship not required to receive COVID-19 vaccine in U.S. New Mexico

HOUSTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. state of New Mexico Department of Health officials said they won't verify the residence or citizenship when distributing COVID-19 vaccines, local media reported Saturday. Read full story
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Taking no chances with education

PETALING JAYA: Preparing for tighter restrictions and a possible lockdown, anxious parents are making sure that their children’s education is not interrupted if physical classes are cancelled. Read full story
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‘When it comes down to the crunch, lives have to come first’

KUCHING: While a possible lockdown to curb the rising spread of Covid-19 will adversely impact the nation’s economy, the importance of saving lives should also be taken into consideration, says the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sarawak (ACCCIS). Read full story
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No Thaipusam festivities and procession in Penang

GEORGE TOWN: There will be no kavadi, breaking of coconuts or traffic jams in Jalan Utama during Thaipusam this year. Read full story
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Associations: Skip or limit CNY activities

SIBU: Those who are either working out of town or studying abroad have been strongly advised not to return for the Chinese New Year celebration in view of the spike in Covid-19 cases. Read full story
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Business sector says no to full MCO

PETALING JAYA: Business industry players have called on the government not to resort to a full-scale lockdown to curb the rising Covid-19 cases but to look at targeted approaches such as tightening the SOP. Read full story
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FMM in favour of stricter SOP

PETALING JAYA: There are worries that a second full lockdown due to Covid-19 can severely weaken businesses and the nation’s economy within months, says Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) president Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai. Read full story
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U.S. San Francisco roadway condition scores "Good" rating

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Wednesday announced the city's regionally tracked roadway condition score hit its 10-year goal, demonstrating the benefits of a systematically planned and executed public infrastructure investment strategy to improve the streets of San Francisco. Read full story
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Facebook smart glasses coming ‘sooner than later’ without AR

Facebook Inc’s planned smart glasses will arrive “sooner than later” in 2021, but won’t feature the kind of digital overlay technology that is associated with augmented reality, according to hardware chief Andrew Bosworth. Read full story
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Facebook, YouTube delete Trump’s video message to rioters

Facebook, in an unusual action, removed President Trump's video post to D.C. rioters telling them to “go home” – while he also fanned the conspiracy flames that the US election was fraudulent. Read full story
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U.S. agricultural futures rise

CHICAGO, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural futures rose across the board on Tuesday, led by soybean. Read full story
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Canadian PM voices frustration with slow pace of COVID-19 vaccine rollout

OTTAWA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that he is worried about the slow pace of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the country. Read full story
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Trump signs order banning transactions with eight Chinese apps including Alipay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese software applications, including Ant Group's Alipay, the White House said, escalating tensions with Beijing before President-elect Joe Biden takes office this month. Read full story
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Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Jan. 4

KUWAIT CITY -- Saudi Arabia and Qatar will reopen land, air and sea borders starting from Monday evening, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah said Monday. Read full story
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U.S. agricultural futures close mixed

CHICAGO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural futures closed mixed on Monday, with corn slipping slightly and wheat and soybean rising. Read full story
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Dow drops over 300 points on first trading day of 2021

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks reversed earlier gains to finish noticeably lower on Monday, the first trading session of 2021, amid lingering coronavirus concerns. Read full story
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Chile registers 2,289 new COVID-19 cases

SANTIAGO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chile registered 2,289 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours, for a total of 618,191 cases, as well as another 43 deaths, bringing the death toll to 16,767, the Ministry of Health reported on Sunday. Read full story
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Germany poised to extend coronavirus lockdown

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is likely to extend a national lockdown beyond Jan. 10 to curb coronavirus infection rates that are still running high and putting huge strains on hospitals and health workers, politicians said at the weekend. Read full story
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Ikea closes for cleaning and contact tracing

PETALING JAYA: Ikea Damansara will be closed until further notice after Covid-19 infections were detected among their staff members and service partners. Read full story
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At least 70 killed in suspected militant attacks in Niger - security sources

NIAMEY (Reuters) -At least 70 civilians were killed in simultaneous attacks on two villages by suspected Islamist militants in Niger, near the border zone with Mali, security sources said on Saturday. Read full story
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Al Qaeda-linked group says it was behind killing of French soldiers in Mali

PARIS (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's North Africa wing has said it was responsible for the killing of three French soldiers in Mali, jihadist monitoring organisation SITE Intel reported on Saturday. Read full story
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‘We will have to look at other options’

KUALA LUMPUR: With the high speed rail (HSR) between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore off the shelf, Malaysia will have to look into alternatives. Read full story
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U.S. dollar closes flat

NEW YORK, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar was flat at close in late trading on Friday. Read full story
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Facebook's advertising integrity chief leaves company

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc's chief of advertising integrity, who handled the company's ad products around sensitive subjects such as politics and coronavirus misinformation, departed this week, according to an internal company post viewed by Reuters on Friday. Read full story
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Chile reports 3,022 new COVID-19 cases

SANTIAGO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chilean Ministry of Health reported on Thursday 3,022 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the highest number since July 10, when it registered 3,058. Read full story
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