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Here are today’s picks from our editors. 

Xi addresses New Year gathering

A New Year gathering was held by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Saturday morning in Beijing.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech at the gathering.

The year 2019, which marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, is a key year for securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, Xi said.

Stressing the importance of study, innovation and solidarity, Xi demanded efforts to both grab opportunities in development and deal with the challenges, as well as inspire Party members and people of ethnic groups in the country to keep fighting for new achievements.

In the year that marked the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up, the best celebration for the occasion was to advance the reforms and raise the level of opening-up, he said. (Xinhua)

Xi, Trump have telephone conversation, agree to implement consensus in Argentina meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump on Saturday held a telephone conversation, expressing their willingness to push for implementation of their agreements reached during the G-20 summit in Argentina.

Trump wished Xi and the Chinese people a happy new year, saying that the US-China relations are very important and closely followed by the whole world.

He said he values the great relations with Xi, adding that he is pleased to see the teams of both countries are working hard to implement the important consensus reached between him and Xi during their meeting in Argentina. He hopes results will be reached to the benefit of both US and Chinese peoples as well as people of all nations.

Xi, for his part, extended best wishes to Trump and the US people upon the arrival of the new year.

Xi said both he and Trump hope to push for a stable progress of the China-US relations, adding that the bilateral ties are now in a vital stage.

The Chinese president said he and Trump had a very successful meeting early this month and reached important consensus in Argentina.

The teams from both countries have since been actively working to implement such consensus, he said, expressing hopes that both teams can meet each other halfway and reach an agreement beneficial to both countries and the world as early as possible. (Xinhua)

China holds key meeting to outline roadmap for 2019 rural work

The central rural work conference was held in Beijing from Dec. 28 to Dec. 29, mapping out plans for the country's rural and agricultural work in 2019.

The meeting summarized and exchanged local experiences on the implementation of rural vitalization strategy, outlined major tasks related to agriculture, rural areas and rural people in the next two years and mapped out plans for rural and agricultural work in 2019, according to a statement released Saturday after the central rural work conference.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made important instructions on work related to agriculture, rural areas and rural people.

The year 2019 is the key year to secure a decisive victory in achieving the country's first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Solid work related to agriculture, rural areas and rural people will play a significant role in effectively handling various risks and challenges, ensuring a steady and healthy economic development and social stability, said Xi. (Xinhua)

Egyptian police announce killing 40 terrorists following tourist bus blast

Egyptian police announced on Saturday killing 40 terrorists in security raids in Giza province near the capital Cairo and North Sinai province in the country’s northeast.

"The terrorist elements have been preparing and planning to carry out a series of aggressive operations targeting state institutions, particularly economic ones," Egypt's Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The police announcement came a day after a terrorist bomb blast targeted a tourist bus in Giza, killing three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide and wounding 11 other Vietnamese tourists and the Egyptian bus driver. (Xinhua)

Strong quake off Philippines prompts panic, tsunami warning

A powerful undersea earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Saturday, prompting people to scramble out of shopping malls and buildings and authorities to warn villagers to stay away from beaches in case of a tsunami.

No casualties or damage were reported hours after the quake struck before noon, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center lifted its warning for a potential tsunami that it had said could hit coastal areas of the southern Philippines and Indonesia.  (AP)

Austria to press ahead with digital tax: chancellor

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz vowed Saturday to press ahead with a tax on large internet and technology companies, following France's example, as the European Union struggles to finalize a new EU-wide levy.

France, which is pushing for a new so-called "GAFA tax" -- named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon -- is advancing with its own tax from January 1 to ensure the global giants pay a fair share of taxes on massive business operations in Europe.

In addition to taxing direct sales, France will also require companies to pay a levy on advertising revenues, websites and the resale of private data, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire announced earlier this month. (AFP)

 Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.

And now for the Question of the Day:

What is the zodiac animal for Chinese New Year 2019?

(Answer: 2019 is the Year of Pig in Chinese culture.)

Today’s quote is from French philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592).

"Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul."

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, and Da Hang.)