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Here are today’s picks from our editors.
China's construction industry to resume orderly operation
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued a circular Wednesday, urging enterprises in the sectors of housing and infrastructure construction to resume work in an orderly manner.
The circular stressed differentiated measures for work resumption of the industry, prioritizing projects related to epidemic prevention and control, the national economy and people's livelihood and accelerating the start-up and operation of major projects.
Firms and projects in regions with relatively low risks are encouraged to resume all-around operation, while the restart of those in medium-risk regions should be in different stages and on a staggered schedule. (Xinhua)
China's tech contracts exceed $318B in value in 2019
China's technology market has seen more than 484,000 technology contracts in 2019, with the total volume of transactions at 2.24 trillion yuan, new data showed.
These figures represented year-on-year increases of 17.5 and 26.6 percent, respectively, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.
It marked a record-high transaction value for China's technology market, exceeding 2 trillion yuan for the first time. (Xinhua)
Brazil confirms first case of novel coronavirus
Brazilian health authorities confirmed on Wednesday the country's first case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Health Minister Luiz Mandetta said at a press conference that a 61-year-old man had tested positive for COVID-19, which is also the first confirmed case in Latin America.
The patient arrived in Sao Paulo last week after traveling to France and Italy, where hundreds of confirmed cases and several deaths have been reported. (Xinhua)
Officials: German man drove into Carnival crowd ‘to kill’
A German man who drove his car into a crowd celebrating Carnival, injuring 61 people including many children, is being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The 29-year-old man, who suffered serious head injuries in the crash, lived in the central German town of Volkmarsen, where the incident took place Monday.
Prosecutors said they were still investigating the driver’s motive, but alleged he drove his car “into a large group of people with the intention to kill.” (AP)
Toyota invests $400 mln in Chinese autonomous driving startup
Pony.ai, an autonomous driving startup based in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, announced Wednesday that it has raised $400 million from Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corporation.
The two will work to speed up autonomous driving technology development and commercialization and further expand collaboration in mobility services, said the startup.
The series B funding totals $462 million, valuing the self-driving company at just over $3 billion and bringing its total financing to date to nearly $800 million. (Xinhua)
Saudi Arabia to host world's richest horse race
Saudi Arabia this week hosts the world's richest horse race, with $20 million in cash prizes on offer in the latest international sports extravaganza designed to boost its battered global image.
The Saudi Cup, expected to attract about 10,000 spectators, takes place at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack on February 29 with the main race run over 1,800m on a dirt track with a maximum field of 14.
The winner will walk away with $10 million, second place with $3.5 million and even the 10th place finisher will go away with something. (AFP)
Maria Sharapova announces retirement from tennis
Five-time Grand-Slam winner, 32-year-old Russian female tennis player Maria Sharapova announced her retirement from tennis on Wednesday.
Having started her career at 17, Sharapova has won a total of 36 titles. With five Grand Slam singles championships – Wimbledon (2004), US Open (2006), Australian Open (2008) and French Open (2012, 2014) – under her name, Sharapova ranked World No. 1 for five times and in total 21 weeks.
By contrast, her current ranking is No. 373. (CGTN)
Thanks for listening and be sure to catch us tomorrow.
And now for the Question of the Day:
How long does a day last on the moon?
(Answer: 27 Earth days.)
Today’s quote is from American writer Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894).
"Don't be 'consistent', but be simply true."
(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Ryan Yaoran Yu, Brian Lowe, and Elaine Yue Lin. Music by Eugene Loner.)