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Here are today's picks from our editors. 

Chinese, Vietnamese presidents exchange greetings ahead of lunar new year

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday exchanged greetings with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President Nguyen Phu Trong on the coming lunar new year.

Xi said the year 2018 marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

During these 10 years, China and Vietnam adhered to carrying forward the Sino-Vietnamese traditional friendship, strengthening exchanges and boosting mutual trust, Xi said.

The two countries supported each other, extended a helping hand to each other, enhanced political guidance to the bilateral relationship, and jointly promoted the development of their socialist causes, Xi said.

Xi pointed out that the two sides should make a blueprint for the development of bilateral relations with a broader vision, strengthen high-level exchanges, promote development strategies docking, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

In his message, Trong pledged to promote cooperation in various fields to gain substantial progress, so as to bring the relations between the two parties and the two countries to a higher level. (Xinhua) 

Food tracking system established in 58 cities

A food tracking system involving 86,000 companies and 524,000 merchants has been established in 58 big- and medium-sized cities across China, a spokesman with the Ministry of Commerce has said.

The tracking system covers commonly-consumed meats like pork and beef, over 500 kinds of vegetables and some fruits as well as aquatic products.

The establishment of the tracking system will help ensure food safety for consumers, Gao Feng said at a press conference.

As the Spring Festival draws near, the government has increased vegetable and pork supplies to meet rising demand, Gao said, adding that 9,600 tonnes of pork reserves have been released into the market. (China Daily) 

Palestinian PM offers to resign to support Abbas' efforts to form new gov't

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said on Monday that he was willing to resign to support the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to form a new government.

Abbas' Fatah party proposed on Sunday evening to form a new national unity government that would include members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Fatah said the decision was made after reconciliation talks with Islamic Hamas movement, which is not part of the PLO, have failed. (AP) 

Shutdown projected to cause $3B permanent hit to economy

The federal government shutdown will cause slight permanent harm to the economy — about $3 billion — according to a report Monday by the Congressional Budget Office.

Overall, CBO predicts that $3 billion in lost gross domestic product will be permanently lost, a modest figure in a $20 trillion-plus economy.

The CBO says the shutdown will have a modest negative impact on the economy, lowering projections of economic growth by 0.4 percentage points to 2.1 percent in the first quarter. (AP) 

Mobile phones and tablets banned from Anhui classrooms

Students in primary and secondary schools in East China's Anhui province will be banned from bringing electronic devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, into the classroom.

The ban is part of a new scheme issued by the provincial department of education on the prevention and control of myopia among children and adolescents in Anhui.

According to the scheme, Anhui aims to significantly reduce the incidence rate of myopia among children and teenagers in the province by 2030. (China Daily) 

Dubai airport world's busiest for int'l travels in 2018

Dubai International Airport was the world's busiest for international travel in 2018, the airport authority said Monday.

The airport had over 89 million passengers in 2018, up from 88 million in 2017.

The Dubai International Airport surpassed London’s Heathrow Airport to become the world's busiest for international traffic in 2014 and has maintained the position to date. (Xinhua) 

Espanyol sign Chinese striker Wu Lei

Spanish La Liga club Espanyol on Monday confirmed they have signed Chinese striker Wu Lei from Shanghai SIPG of the Chinese Super League (CSL).

Wu Lei, who was the top scorer in the CSL last season, will wear the number 24 shirt at the Barcelona-based club.

The Espanyol website writes that the club had "been following Wu Lei's progress for a time," and that the 27-year-old had also "attracted the interest of many Premier League clubs, but decided to accept" the offer from Espanyol. (Xinhua) 

Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

Which gas smells like rotten eggs?

(Answer: Hydrogen sulfide.)

Today's quote is from American author Christian Nestell Bovee (1820-1904).

"Our first and last love is self-love."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, and Elaine Yue Lin.)